The Demonic Flower
by Chibi Star Vamp
Summary: Even though she was powerful, she couldn't help but wonder about it. It was her greatest wish—her deepest desire; but she never thought it would come true. "Alright human, I'll grant your wish." Kagome got confused. "My... wish?" "I'll make you a demon."
1. Missing Kagome

A new fan-fiction; and best of all, it's for a completely different Anime genre. Honestly, I still have a few Naruto ones to do but… it's nice to get out of that Anime, you know. Broaden my readers and whatnot. Anyways, this is my first Inuyasha fan-fiction all about my favorite couple… Kagome and Kouga! To be honest, I like that couple a lot because… I don't really know why, but I just do. I think Kouga is one of the cutest! ^^ Any who, I really hope you all enjoy this and, if it works out, I will do another one.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha_ characters. I only own the plot and my own characters.

Summary

It was her secret dream; and she never once imagined that it'd come true. "Alright Human—I'll grant your wish." Kagome looked at the demonic female with confusion on her face. "My… wish…?" the female nodded her head. "I'll make you a demon."

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The Demonic Flower<strong>

_**Chapter 1—Missing Kagome**_

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><p>The demon glaring at her had stunning purple eyes, creamy-white skin and snow-white hair. Her hair was tied up into a bun, using a beautiful black ribbon, on her head, and through the parts that covered the side of her face, poked out two pointed ears. From behind her, a tail as white as her hair moved back and forth swiftly. She was wearing a kimono that was all white, with black trimming. A weird insignia was printed on her upper left breast. Her feet were bare and there were symbols wrapping around them.<p>

She had long claws that were the perfectly pure white color of her hair and tail. She had a necklace around her neck that seemed like a large crystal attached to a simple white string. It was perfectly circular, and she would mistake it for the _Shikon no Tama _if it weren't for the fact that the jewel around her neck was much bigger.

"Who are you?" she asked. She held two blades in her hand as she pointed one at Kagome, while the other remained at her side. Her purple eyes were narrowed into a fierce glare as she demanded just who had the nerve to come into her territory.

Kagome stood frozen as she watched the crystal blade glisten under the light of the moon. The blade was sharp and beautiful—swirly designs carved into the crystal; just like on her feet. Its silver handle reflected the lighting and made it land on the demonic girl; giving her a beautiful ghostly glow.

While she was looking at the one pointed at her, Kagome also made sure to keep an eye on its twin. She knew that any second now, that demon could easily throw the sword and she and Shippou would be dead.

"Kagome," Shippou said as he began to whisper in her ear. "I'm scared." The little kitsune stated. He momentarily looked at the female demon as she turned the blade pointed at them to the side. The clear crystal blade shined and he gulped as he took note of just how sharp it was.

"I know Shippou," Kagome said. "But don't worry… I won't let anything happen to us." She said softly.

The female's ears twitched. This caused her to give a sly grin. "Oh really~," she stretched out the word. "And tell me, human, how exactly do you plan to protect that Fox Demon and yourself? You're human—weak."

Kagome felt some fury build up in her. She wasn't all that weak okay. She was a miko dammit! And since she's first arrived at the Funeral Era, she's gotten much, much better at using her powers of purification. And not just for the jewels as well.

She's been working on healing with Kaede. So far, she's doing pretty good. She can heal a few injuries, but they have to be small. But she's getting better. Each day, she keeps practicing. And Sango often lets her heal the minor wounds that she gets.

Knowing this, Kagome reached behind her and grabbed her bow and an arrow. She then pointed the tip at the female. "I'm not weak." Kagome said with a determined face.

The demoness scoffed; what did she think she was doing? _"Stupid human."_ She thought. "Oh please. That little demon's stronger than—" the female quickly moved away as Kagome fired her arrow at her.

A flash of white light quickly went past the female and slightly ripped the fabric of her kimono at the side. The demon landed a few feet away and looked at the tiny scratch. Her eyes wide, she then looked up at Kagome who placed a smug look on her face.

"Weak, am I?" Kagome said.

"You… you're a miko."

"You bet I am," Kagome said. She set up another shot and she saw the female's eyes harden. "And if you don't leave us alone, this day will be your last." She was so confident she was so, so sure of the fact that she would easily take care of this girl.

The demon scoffed.

"Miko, or not," she said. "You're still trespassing on my lands. I want you out or I'll—"

Another arrow flew, this one stronger than the last, and Kagome had perfectly aimed it for the girl's abdomen. But her own eyes soon widened at what she saw.

The girl grit her teeth as she tried to keep the arrow back. She had her swords placed over where the arrow was about to hit and was currently holding it off. The arrow kept going and was pushing her back in the dirt—her skin soon separating to let blood out.

"_H… how is she doing that?"_ Kagome thought. This girl was a demon. She used demonic energy. There was no way that a demon weapon could be able to hold back something as pure as her miko energy. It… it just didn't make sense.

"K-Kagome…" Shippou said. "How… how is she able to do that?" Kagome stayed silent and watched in awe as the arrow finally burned out and the girl began to pant heavily.

She pulled strands of her white hair behind her ear and then looked up at her with furious purple eyes. Barring her teeth and showing off her perfectly white fangs, the girl advanced towards her, swords at the side, and not a single mark from the arrow, left on them.

"You little wench..." She said. "How _dare_ you try to kill me!" She exclaimed.

Kagome began to take steps back as the demon got closer and closer. And as this happened, she realized that there was no overwhelming demonic energy coming from her. In fact… her energy was almost… pure.

"A-are you… a half-demon?" Kagome grew the nerve to ask. The girl smirked.

"Not even close."

"Then… how… how were you able to deflect my arrow so easily?" her brown eyes grew hard as she said this. She needed to know. She needed to know how a demon—a _pure_ demon—could possibly shield themselves from one of her arrows. And that was another thing, her energy was growing and getting better. Her arrows were their strongest at the moment and could take down some of the toughest demons. And yet… this girl was still alive.

"What's wrong Miko," the girl said. "Are you suddenly afraid of me? What happened to this strong energy that you people are supposed to have?" she mocked.

"Stay back," Kagome said. She got another arrow ready, and this time, made sure to aim it for where she believed would be the girl's heart.

"Or what?" she deflected the arrow with a flick of her wrist. Kagome ducked her head as it went over her and the trees behind her burned down as it went in a straight direction. "You'll shoot?"

"_She's strong… impossibly strong…"_

"You bet your ass I am."

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><p>"Where the hell is she?" Inuyasha complained. He had a frown on his face as he began to do the usual whenever Kagome was gone from camp too long. Complain.<p>

"Calm down Inuyasha," Miroku said. "I'm sure that she's just looking around for something to eat or something."

"Why the hell would she need to do that? There's already enough food in that stupid giant bag of hers. Why would she need to go scavenging in the woods for food?" he said. He didn't like it when Kagome was gone. Because when she was gone, things tended to happen.

In fact, once, while she was gone, they had run into a giant demon. Of course, they destroyed it and were surprised to find a jewel shard inside. Sadly, they couldn't get the shard because it was far too tainted. And just when Kagome was returning, one of Naraku's bugs flew to the shard, picked it up and flew away.

Needless to say that Kagome got quite an earful from him after that. And he also got a few sittings too.

"Inuyasha, relax, Kagome will be back in a while," Sango said. She continued to brush Kirara's fur and the little demon cat purred in delight. "Besides, if anything happened, Kagome would be able to take care of it easily. She's gotten stronger you know." The slayer told.

Inuyasha groaned.

"Pfft. She's still too weak like every other human."

"What?" Sango said. She began to glare at Inuyasha a little. Maybe she hadn't heard him right.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Forget it. I don't believe any of you people. I know for a fact that something's happened and that Kagome and Shippou are in some deep shit right now." he said. He hopped down from his tree and then began to walk in the direction that Kagome had disappeared a couple minutes ago.

"I'm going after her and dragging her ass back here."

"Honestly Inuyasha," Sango said. "Can't you give Kagome a little space for once? I mean, she's fine. And besides, if she did somehow get into trouble, we'd know because—"

Inuyasha was forced to jump to the side as an arrow came at him. The hot intensity of the purified aura surrounded it grazed his hakama a little. He got up off the ground and watched as the arrow struck the tree near Kagome's pack.

"I told you she was in trouble."

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><p>"Come with me, Miko." The demoness said. Kagome looked up at the white-haired female with wide eyes.<p>

"W-wha… why?" Kagome asked.

"I don't need to explain myself to you," the demon said. "Just come with me… or _die_." Kagome flinched at how casual the demon had said this.

"_Of course she said it like that. She probably says this over two times a day. This is what she does!"_

"Miko!" the girl yelled. This stunned Kagome and she fell back. Shippou let out a yelp as Kagome's heavy body weight was slammed down on him.

Soon, Kagome realized why her landing was a little softer than usual and she quickly moved up a little. She grabbed Shippou and held him to her chest. "Shippou, are you alright?" she asked with worry in her eyes.

"I'm fine Kagome…" Shippou said weakly. To be honest, some of the oxygen he had in his lungs was knocked out of him when Kagome fell on top. But after a few minutes or so, he'll be back to normal.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'll heal you as soon as we get out of this."

"_If _you ever do."

Kagome changed her brown-eyed gaze back to the female. She was still standing as usual, but now seemed to have a look of pure annoyance on her face. She was twisting one of her silver swords in her hand with little interest.

"Which you won't; so stop lying to the little thing. You know, lying isn't exactly a good thing." she said.

"Why would you care?" Kagome asked as her eyes grew hard. "You're a demon. A _full _demon. Lying is probably one of the things you do best; am I right?" she raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a little bolder.

The female scoffed. "Look. I may be a demon, but I don't lie. I'm not afraid to tell the truth unlike you humans." She shot back.

Kagome and the girl continued to glare at each other, until the girl finally let out a sigh of frustration and moved one of her swords forward so it was positioned directly under Kagome's neck. Kagome craned her neck a little to keep the sharp edge from digging into her pale skin.

"I've had enough of this little chit-chat," the demoness said. "You are coming with me Miko."

"No I'm—" Kagome froze when she felt the blade dig into her neck a little. She saw Shippou's eyes widen and could see the tiniest hint of her blood trickling down her neck, in his eyes. She could feel it too.

"Don't test my patience Miko," she said dangerously. "I've already dragged this out long enough. You've had your little moments of bravery. Now give in already and come with me peacefully. Or, if you want, I can knock you out unconscious with one kick and _drag_ you there."

Kagome kept her body still and her eyes wide. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She felt the blade dig in deeper and deeper. Her skin cells split and caused some more pain to shoot through. But she refused to scream.

Instead, she decided to just keep up the courage she apparently had. She knew for a fact that, eventually, Inuyasha would come and help both her and Shippou out.

Maybe the tessaiga could defeat the powerful female demon? She sure hoped so. Because if neither her arrows, nor tessaiga could defeat this female, then that made this girl one of the most powerful demons alive. She was sure that that's what would happen.

"_I can do this…"_ deeper. _"I can hold on…"_ deeper. _"I can wait… I can… I can… I can…"_ blood began to spill into her throat.

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"_I can't!"_

"Inuyasha!" she yelled out. She knew that her voice would get easily picked up by the male half-demon and she and Shippou would be rescued in a matter of seconds.

The demon dragged her sword along Kagome's throat, and the human girl gasped as it was slit. She began to clutch her large wound once the sword was removed, as she started to gasp for breath. Blood was pouring heavily from the wound, as well as in her mouth. She could feel it… the cut was deep enough to slightly break through esophagus.

"Ah," the female said in content as she watched Kagome struggle to get a breath. "The smell of human blood. Slightly disgusting, but I guess it's still a welcoming aroma."

"Kagome!" Shippou yelled. He got on top of Kagome, near her throat, and tiny tears began to go down his eyes as he watched the blood make a second coat over her normal pale skin. "Kagome hold on! I'll… I'll go get the others!" he yelled.

He jumped off of Kagome and began to run to camp as he became fully determined on saving Kagome's life. He didn't want her to die. He wanted her to stay alive. Kagome was like his mother now. She was taking care of him and making him all sorts of delicious food.

He loved her like a mother too.

And he didn't want her to die!

The demoness continued to look at the girl as she was now kicking wildly from lack of breath. Her struggle only caused more air to leave her and her vision was slowly growing dark.

"Poor, poor Miko," the girl said. "And to think that I had actually asked you to come along,"—she sighed—"I guess you can never do things the easy way, can you?" she flicked her left sword, covered with slight blood, and immediately the metallic liquid just came off, cleaning it completely. She raised it to her face to inspect it.

"You know, I could save you," the demon said. Kagome managed to keep her eyes open to look at the white-haired girl as she continued to bleed from her mouth, down. "I could so easily close up that wound and get rid of all that icky, sticky blood."

"And all you have to do is agree to come along with me, little Miko." She said. Happy with the fact that her beautiful and precious sword wasn't tainted with blood, she placed it together with her other sword, and the two connected, making one. She then placed it back in its holder, on her hip.

"So, what do you say," the demon started again as she began to inspect her deadly white claws. "Will you come with me and live—or defy me and die?"

"_What do I do?" _Kagome thought. She added more pressure to her wound as she tried her hardest to keep the bleeding down, but to no success.

She was losing blood fast.

Her pulse was slowly diminishing.

She had to revert to breathing through her nostrils to try to keep her heartbeat from giving out on her. But the air was only getting so far as her esophagus continued to get clogged up by her own blood cells.

"Tick-tock Miko," the female crossed her arms under her chest and continued to look down at Kagome. "Your sands of time are running out. I suggest you make a decision quickly."

"_Do I agree and go… or do I disagree and… _die_?"_ she thought. _"If I choose to go… who knows where I might end up and what I might have to do. I might never see the others again. But if I don't go and I die… I won't see them at all. If I'm alive and captured, I still have a better chance at seeing them again. But what can I do if I'm dead?"_

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"_I have no other choice."_

"I… I'll go."

The female raised an eyebrow as her ears picked up what Kagome softly said. Then a slow, cruel smirk crawled on her face.

"That's a good little Miko." She said. She walked closer to Kagome and crouched down near the girl's face. Kagome slightly turned her head to look at her.

"A-a-aren't y-y-y-you…" she stopped to cough up blood. The female moved her head a little to keep droplets from splattering on her face.

"Be quiet Miko," the female placed her hand over Kagome's and removed it, letting the blood easily flow. Kagome's eyes widened as even more blood began to fall out and the black began to cancel out all colors that she could see in the dark. "And let it happen."

"Y-y-y-y-ou… _lied_…"

Kagome then passed out and her head turned to the side. The demon's face grew concentrated as she placed her hand over the deep wound and it began to slightly glow a little. It soon began to heal. Not completely, but just a little to stop the flow.

"I didn't lie," she said as she began to hoist Kagome's body up on her shoulders. "I just waited." She said softly. Then she took in a deep breath and began to run.

Soon, fog began to surround her as her body began to change forms and she started to head home. Kagome began to change as well, and within seconds, both her and the miko's scents were completely gone.

Without a trace.

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><p>"What the hell?" Inuyasha shouted. He slammed tessaiga into a tree, snapping it in two, as he looked down at the large puddle of blood on the forest floor.<p>

He knew that smell of blood anywhere. That was Kagome's blood. And it practically created a puddle near the log where she had apparently fallen.

"Kagome…" Sango said. Her eyes grew sad as she began to imagine just how this could've ended up happening to the miko. Kagome was a strong girl; she saw this. How was it that she couldn't take down whatever demon had her. Unless…

"I bet'cha Naraku did this." Inuyasha growled out.

"N-no," Shippou said as he too stared at the blood; tears in his eyes. "N-naraku d-di-didn't do this." he said.

"Well, spit it out Shippou, who did?" Inuyasha said. While he seemed as agitated as normal, Inuyasha was boiling inside. The shattered tree was just a way for him to gain control on a little bit of his sanity. Because honestly, he wanted to kill whoever had made Kagome shed so much blood and get the young miko back.

"I-it was…" Shippou grew wide eyes as he saw how Inuyasha's eyes nearly flashed red. He knew he had to get his words out quickly, so he took in a breath, looked away from the blood—even though he inhaled it through his nostrils—and tried again.

"It was… a female demon…" the gang's eyes stayed focused on him intently. "She… she had white hair—really white hair and her skin was a little… light or… dark or…"

"Was it somewhere in between?" Sango suggested. She watched as the kitsune nodded his head a bit unsure. She took mental notes of this.

"Shippou, what type of demon was she?" Miroku asked.

"Well… I'm not sure…" Shippou started. "But, I know that she had a tail. A fluffy white tail sticking out of the back of her kimono. It kinda reminded me of… Kouga's tail."

"Kouga!" Inuyasha shouted. " I bet you that female wench was part of his pack! He probably sent her to capture Kagome!" his fangs were grinding against each other at the thought of what that demon could possibly be doing to Kagome right now.

"I don't know Inuyasha," Sango said. "I have a feeling that Kouga wouldn't let any harm come to Kagome. Besides, why would he do this now?" she asked.

Why had Kouga chose now, of all times, to have someone capture Kagome? He's known the miko for about two years now and had plenty of chances before. He could've easily done it on the day they were fighting that spider demon. Or that demon that made all the girls fall for him by placing a crown on their heads.

Or he could've chased her down after she and Shippou managed to escape, and just held her prisoner there.

There were so many opportunities, all of which she was certain Kouga was smart enough to see. She didn't doubt that Kouga would be capable of doing such a thing, kidnapping Kagome from right under their noses, but she was pretty certain that he wouldn't let Kagome end up shedding blood.

"What are you kidding me?" Inuyasha shouted at her. "Of _course_ he would do this sort of thing! He'd do anything to get Kagome back to that stupid cave of his—whether she's dead or alive."

"D-dead?"

"Inuyasha," Miroku said as he went over to Shippou to place a hand on the kid's head. He was shaking at the possibility of Kagome being dead right now. "Calm down. I'm very certain that Kagome is alive. She might even be healing her wound right now and on her way back to us." He said.

"Really Miroku?" Shippou asked as he turned his head up to look at the monk. "Do you really think she's trying to find her way back here?" there was the tiniest hint of hope in his childish voice.

"Of course Shippou," Miroku said. "There is no doubt in my mind that Kagome is safe and well."

"Yeah right," Inuyasha muttered. "I doubt that she can be fully safe with that stupid dog around." He didn't miss the glares that both Miroku and Sango were sending towards him.

"Hey, at least I'm being honest. You're both trying to keep the truth from Shippou. You're trying to shield him from what's really going on. Stop that okay. Shippou is a demon dammit and he should be treated as such."

"Meaning…" Sango said as she crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Look Shippou," Inuyasha said as he made eye-contact with the kitsune. "Kagome is gone okay. And chances are that Kouga took her. Now, if he was the one to take her, not only am I going to rip off his tail, but Kagome might also be in serious danger."

"W-why?" Shippou asked. "Kouga loves Kagome."

"Loves her? Please. All that stupid wolf wants to do is fu—"

"Inuyasha!" Sango screamed at him. He rolled his eyes as Sango's face grew pink.

"Whatever," he said. "All I know is that Kagome is gone, and that wolf is our first suspect. Let's go. We have a lot of travelling to do to get to his stupid caves."

"Are you saying we head over to Kouga's caves Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

"Well duh," he said. He placed his tessaiga back in the scarab and placed his hands in their usual position—in his sleeves. "I may not want to go there, but if he's holding her prisoner, we have to get her back." He said.

Inuyasha began to walk in the other direction of where the group was and started to sniff the air for any clues as to which direction Kagome may have gone.

"_Nothing."_ He thought. _"All I can pick up is that pile of blood. Other than that, her scent is gone—completely vanished. How the _fuck_ did that happen?"_

"Come on you idiots!" he shouted back at them. "Do you want to find Kagome or not?" soon he heard footsteps trailing behind him. Now that he had the cows moving, it was time to haul them to the river.

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><p>Her eyes saddened as she looked at the unconscious state of the person on the floor. They were sweating heavily, with bandages practically covering their entire body, and their skin paler than usual.<p>

The slight scent of decaying skin filled the tiny area that they were in and she inhaled it deeply. It was mixed with theirs, and she found it a little refreshing. Although, their scent was slowly disappearing as more fog filled the room. Oh how she wished that would stop.

She sighed as she got up from her position on the floor and stretched a little. She slightly rubbed her eyes as she tried to get rid of that sleepy-feeling.

She hadn't fallen asleep in the past couple months. And demon or not, she needed her sleep. She had to rest in order to use her energy. But with everything that's been going on, she's finding that harder and harder to do.

She took one last glance at the person on top of the silk blankets that formed a small bed, and then left the room. She then walked straight down the passageway until she reached another room. She entered and also looked at the two forms there. Both of them asleep.

"Wake up," she said in a hoarse voice. The one that wasn't unconscious opened their eyes as they looked up. When they came in contact with hers, the other demon yawned.

"Is it morning yet?" the demon asked.

She nodded her head.

"Did you check up on him?"

Again, a nod.

"Then I guess it's my turn to watch over these two, huh?" the demon asked. She stayed silent as the demon shook its fur and then began to transform.

It's small body grew as it began to form a female body. Creamy skin was revealed under white fur, and an average female chest grew. Short white hair that reached her neck, with the bottom parts slightly curled, was the only hair that was left on her body. Pointed ears stuck out and sharp fangs became surrounded by normal teeth.

Fingers grew with long white claws, and a fluffy white tail stayed the same, but just grew a bit in length. Pink lips and brown eyes stuck out immediately among all the white.

"Here're your clothes," the first female demon said as she handed an extra pair of her clothes to the newly transformed demon.

"Thanks." The demon said as she began to slip on the clothing quickly. "So… how exactly did you find one?" she asked as she pulled up the underwear and began to put on the skirt.

"Luck." The first demon responded. "Pure luck." She said softly. After the second demon slipped on the shirt and fixed her hair, she then handed her, her own weapons. "I was just patrolling and… at first, I thought it was just another human but then she shot an arrow at me and—"

"You managed to deflect it, right?" the second demon asked. She strapped on her weapons in their usual areas and looked at her friend.

"Of course, it was easy too, barely a scratch on my sword," she said.

"I told you using that crystal would help," the female said. "And you thought it wouldn't be a good idea to use the Moon Crystal on a few weapons. I bet you're not regretting it now." she said. She finished and then began to align her clothing perfectly.

"Shut up," the first female said with a small smile on her face. "While I admit that it probably saved my life, I still don't believe that we'll get away with doing this."

"That's why we have to do as much with it as we possibly can… before our time here ends."

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"I know."

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><p>"Great job Kouga."<p>

"That was amazing Kouga."

"Hey, how come you always get the good ones?"

Kouga smirked.

"Because unlike you, I'm always focused." He said. The male Wolf Demon just groaned and walked away. Meanwhile, Kouga was still relishing over his fantastic catch that morning.

Earlier that day, he had woken up at 5am to go do his usual hunting. While he was out, he stumbled upon a village that had some great livestock. It was a little far from where his caves were, but it was completely worth it; especially considering the fact that each of those pigs and cows, were now his.

"Alright, close up part of this cave," Kouga said as the last of the livestock went inside an empty cave they had. Five of his men then began to push a huge stone slab over the cave entrance as it created a pen for the animals.

"That should do for the next two weeks or so." he said to himself. He brushed his hands and then let his men off to take a small break. They were given a limited time period because they still had to go check if there were any approaching enemies, news of Naraku's movements, and much more.

Each day was a busy day. There were never days of relaxation here were he could just sit down in a giant stack of hay, with some of his favorite wolves surrounding him.

Oh, but how he wished there was.

He would give anything to just have a day to himself. A day where he didn't have to worry about anyone—or an entire tribe—and he could just do as he pleased, and when he wanted to. Because honestly, what he wouldn't give to get some time off to see Kagome again.

It's been so long since he's last seen the pretty little black-haired miko. With her strange outfit, pretty hair, caring nature, and amazing power, she was everything he wanted, and more.

Kagome was the only female that he's ever met, that defied him, slapped him, and yet caused him to fall madly in love with her. She made him begin to question his ways, even give up eating people, if it'd please her and make her his mate. He's tried to be a lot nicer to the guys—a bit of a fail by the way—and made sure that the wolves didn't go too crazy at the smell of human blood.

It was tough, you know. To change so much and all for a single person. But no, Kagome wasn't just any person. She was truly a being of unearthly origin. An Angel from heaven.

She made him feel so much calmer and happier whenever she was around. She was getting tougher and tougher by the day and was so incredibly smart. He had always thought that feelings were only good for one thing—sex. But no, Kagome changed that about him too. She was useful in so many other ways than carnal pleasure.

He sighed as he began to walk away from the pen. He started to go through the numerous corridors of his tribe's large caves until he was abruptly stopped by Ginta and Hakkaku.

"Kouga!" Ginta said.

"Kouga!" Hakkaku yelled.

"_Idiots."_ Kouga said in his mind. How could those two still be screaming his name if they were only about a yard away? Honestly.

"What do you two want?" Kouga yelled at them. They winced at the large volume. _"Now they know how I felt."_

"Uh… uh…" started Ginta. Then Hakkaku elbowed him in the side and he got back a little courage. "We… we were looking around for more food when—"

"When we ran into Ayame!" Hakkaku yelled.

Kouga instantly flinched. Dear god… not Ayame. The last time he saw her was when he neglected to go back with her and she left. Of course, that was also when she met Kagome, and while Ayame was a little bit over her crush on him, it was still pretty strong—now stronger than ever since she knows about his feelings for Kagome.

"Crap," Kouga muttered. "What did she say?" he asked. He needed to know whether he should be finding a good place to hide for the next three days—Ayame's usual visit time—or if this was all just a false alarm.

"She-she said she was coming over here to discuss…" Ginta stopped as a blush trailed on his cheeks. Kouga raised an eyebrow at the two as he noticed that Hakkaku was the same.

"What?" Kouga asked. "Why the hell are you two suddenly quiet? What does Ayame want?"

"Err…" started Hakkaku. "Well… you know, Kouga… Ayame is seventeen years old…"

"…And, and in a few months she… she will be eighteen…" said Ginta.

Kouga froze as he finally got what they were trying to tell him. "Are you telling me that that brat's coming over here to try and become my _mate_?" he asked. When they both nodded their heads, he growled.

"No fucking way."

"Well, we did tell her that you wouldn't—that you were too in love with Kagome to want anyone else as your mate but—" started Hakkaku.

"You know how Ayame is. Especially when Kagome's name is mentioned." Finished Ginta.

Kouga groaned. "Yeah… I know."

"Then you know that she got even more jealous and started running her faster than we've ever seen!" Ginta yelled. "I mean, she was running as fast as you Kouga!" this caught Kouga's attention.

"Wait, you mean, _literally_ as fast as me?" he asked. This was beginning to sound strange. He was able to run fast because he had the jewel shards in his leg. But how the hell could Ayame run as fast as him?

"Yeah!" Hakkaku yelled. "She made a tornado and everything!"

"So you better run faster so she doesn't—"

"Leave it," Kouga said. This stopped both males in their tracks. "Let her come over here and try to make me her mate. She won't succeed at it, but I have a few things I'd like to speak to her about." He said.

He turned around when he heard a loud crash and then the sound of animals. He cursed.

"Dammit! Don't tell me those idiots let those stupid animals loose!" he shouted. Of course, when a sheep ran right past them, he knew that the very thing he didn't want to happen, happened.

"Kouga, what was—"

"Shut up! I want both of you to get these animals under control. While you do that, tell those idiots to go get another gate to keep those stupid things in!" he yelled.

"But Kouga, what will you—" again, Kouga cut Hakkaku off.

"I'm gonna go see where the hell those other animals are. I'll be using my wolves to taken 'em down." then he turned around and began to run through his caves.

"_What else could go wrong?"_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha, slow down!" Miroku yelled as he tried desperately to keep up with Inuyasha's quick pace.<p>

"No way!" Inuyasha yelled. "I can smell that wolf's scent. He's close, very close!"

"But Inuyasha, we're days away from Kouga's cave! How could you possibly smell him so close?" Sango yelled from atop Kirara.

Since Kagome first disappeared, about eight hours ago, they've done nothing but travel. They had passed about an entire village a few hours ago, that was dealing with a huge demon, and they easily killed it, but were so annoyed when they saw the demon had a shard. A few seconds later, Naraku's bug came and went with it.

Now Inuyasha was even _more_ determined to get Kagome back. They had lost a shard because she wasn't there. And the longer she's gone, the more shards Naraku will happily collect.

"_I'd rather burn in hell than let that stupid demon get all those shards."_ And of course, he knew that Naraku probably also knew about Kagome's disappearance. _"If that stupid wolf doesn't have her, then Naraku probably does."_

It would make a lot of sense though. Naraku could've easily captured Kagome using another one of his puppets. And now, with her in captivity, he could quickly gather all of the jewel shards by threatening her to either take him to them, or kill all of them.

And of course, being as how Kagome didn't want any of her friends or innocent people to die, she's complying for their safety. God knows how many shards he might have now. And then there was the chance that he's also taken Kagome's shards. Again.

"_He could have an entire jewel by now!"_ Inuyasha screamed in his mind. With his anger fueling him even more, he started to run even faster.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called after. He soon grew tired of running and stopped while Inuyasha got further and further away.

"Get on Miroku," Sango said as Kirara stopped beside the monk. "I doubt that you'll be able to run at all with the speed Inuyasha's going at." She said. Miroku quickly climbed onto Kirara's back.

"Thank you Sango," he said as he wrapped his arms around the woman's waist.

Sango looked away to hide her blush a little. "Yeah, yeah, whatever Monk. Just keep your hands where they are." She said. Kirara got the hint to move and began to catch up with Inuyasha. The male's white hair was spotted easily in the bright Sun, and they found him within seconds. He had gotten about half a mile further.

"Inuyasha!" Sango called out as she saw a village overhead. "We might want to stop at that village to get something to eat! We need more energy to keep moving!" she called out.

"No way!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Inuyasha stop acting like this!" Sango made Kirara stop right in front of the hanyou and he was forced to halt. Her eyes were fierce as she spoke.

"What the hell Sango! Get outta the—"

"Listen!" she exclaimed. She then took in a few breaths to calm down. "Look, I want to find Kagome too, okay. But we're never going to do that if we all drop from exhaustion. Let's rest at the upcoming village for an hour or so, and then we can start again." She said.

Inuyasha growled at Sango's suggestion to stop and take a break. He didn't want to stop. He wanted to keep moving so that they could get closer and closer to finding out just what the hell happened to Kagome.

The more time they stopped to rest, and the further the miko was at finding them. _"And the more shards Naraku could possibly be getting."_

"Pfft. If you want to stop and rest, fine, but I'm still going." He said. He was about to start moving again when he realized that the scent of that wolf was practically right on top of them.

He paused to look around, with calculating eyes, as he tried to pick up that brown fur that Kouga wore. And then, a few seconds later, he saw a tail. Although, it wasn't brown, but it was white. But Inuyasha didn't pick up the color difference.

"_There you are you damn mutt_!"

He jumped up and in the tree that he saw the tail coming from. He stopped at a branch away from it, and was surprised to see that the hair color and gender he expected to see, was completely different from what he was seeing.

* * *

><p>"She's awake."<p>

"Good." The female said. She then began to walk with the other demon as they headed over to where they had kept one of the two other people with them.

They entered the room to see the female on the bed, with her eyes slightly open. There was a bandage around her neck, where she had inflicted a wound upon her, and healing ointment had been placed. Her hair had been pulled back, and there was a cloth over her forehead to keep some of her heat inside her body.

She seemed fine and blinked a few times before turning her head to look at them. Then her eyes widened.

"You!" she shouted.

"Ssshh," she said. "Don't be so loud." The demon female said. She got even closer to the female and then took a seat right next to her. "Jeesh. You'd think that after a human wakes up, they'd be as silent as they possibly could."

"Well _so-rry_, but I'm in a little bit of shock and—ow." Kagome clutched her throat and felt the bandage there. Her eyes widened a little as she looked at the white-haired demon.

"Y-you… you actually…" she trailed off. She was in some mild shock. She couldn't believe that the demon had actually kept up to her promise. She had agreed to go along with her, and now she was alive and well. She couldn't even taste the blood that had been pouring out of her mouth before.

She could feel that her throat was feeling much better now. There had to be some sort of healing ointment in her bandages too.

"I told you, demons don't lie," the female said. "I said that if you came with me, I'd save you, and I did."

Kagome honestly couldn't believe this. It hadn't been some sort of trick at all. The demon kept to her word. And now that she thought about it, how exactly did the demon manage to do that? How did she save her?

"How did you heal me?" Kagome asked. The demon stayed completely silent.

"That doesn't matter," she said. "The point is, that you better rest up. I have a job that only you can do, Miko." She said. Then she got up from her position and turned to look at the other white-haired female.

"Yuksi," she said. "Take Miko here and give her a bath. She could use one." Then she began to leave the room.

Kagome felt insulted at what the demoness had said. She did not _stink_! But then again, as she smelt the air a little more, she realized that the demoness was right. She really did need a bath. She blushed a little as she heard the other demon laugh.

"Relax miko," the other female demon said. Kagome looked up at her and became mesmerized by her beautiful brown eyes that seemed almost honey-brown. "You don't smell that bad. Besides, it's only natural considering how long you've been out of it." she approached Kagome and the human noticed that she seemed a lot friendlier than the other girl.

"Um… exactly how long have I been out of it?" Kagome asked. Her voice was soft and a little raspy because of her previous yelling. She should've taken it easy.

"I'm not sure," the demon, Yuksi, said. "I wasn't exactly in this room when she brought you here. But my guess is that, maybe, before she took you."

"So… sometime late last night."

Kagome nodded her head. She'd been gone for so long. The others were probably worried sick about her. She knew that, by now, they'd realize that she was completely missing and were looking for her all over the place. Inuyasha must be pretty furious.

"_I can only imagine how angry he might be. For all I know, he could've lost control of his demon side and—"_

"Come on miko," Yuksi said as she crouched down a little so she could look Kagome in the eyes. "Let's get you cleaned and fed so you can be ready for tonight." She said.

"And what exactly will I have to do tonight?" Kagome asked.

"I can't tell you," Yuksi said. "It's my master's job to inform you about that. She's really very protective of that sort of thing, you know." She said.

Kagome nodded her head and accepted Yuksi's help as she began to help her up. Kagome soon realized that she was still in her blood-drenched clothes and suddenly felt very sick and sticky.

"Relax miko, it's only blood," Yuksi said. "My master would've changed your clothes, but considering how she's also a female, she knew that you probably wouldn't like that."

"Your master," Kagome started as she tried to steady herself on her feet. "She's the female that was here before, right? The one who brought me here?"

"Yes, that is her," Yuksi said. She then began to lead Kagome outside of the little room as they started to head for the very back of the cave, where there was an exit to a waterfall right behind them, that was used for bathing.

"Why do you talk about her like she's… nice. I mean, when I met her yesterday, she—"

"Ya—my master, may come off a little bit mean at times. But she's usually not like this. It's just that… something's going on right now that's starting to eat away at her nerves. It's actually the reason why you're here." She guided Kagome around a corner.

"I see…" Kagome said. "You… you're actually very… _nice_, by the way." Kagome said. Yuksi turned to her and gave a soft smile.

"Thanks. Just like me, my master's actually nice as well. She's very kind and considerate—unlike all other demons. It's kinda why, after she brought you here, she immediately started work on your wound, and made sure that you were comfortable for the night."

"Ah, here we are." Yuksi said. Kagome's eyes grew wide as she looked at the large and beautiful waterfall that was surrounded by a giant group of mountains, all over. The water flowed and flowed and on top of a large rock nearby, were something close to towels and other things.

"Wow… it's…" Kagome said.

"Beautiful, right?" Yuksi said. Kagome nodded her head as she still took in the scene and enjoyed the smell of the earth and water blended together. "My master loves it. She often disappears during the days just to come here and enjoy the cool water."

"You mean this isn't where you live?" Kagome asked. Yuksi began to lead her over to where the large rocks was.

"No. This is just one of the areas we have stationed for whenever we travel to a nearby land." Yuksi said. "Now, take off your clothing." She said. Kagome's eyes grew wide at the female and a blush crept on her face.

"Relax," Yuksi said. "There's a tiny cave behind the water just large enough for someone to change and for a few things to be placed there. You can take off your clothes there, and then wrap yourself up in one of the towels if you'd like. I'll be right here and will get the things ready to give you a bath with." Yuksi said.

Kagome nodded her head and began to head over to where the waterfall was. She wasn't quite sure how she would be able to get behind the waterfall without getting wet, until she spotted the small pathway of stone right behind it.

She walked along it and managed to avoid getting wet. When she came to the cave, her eyes widened. Torches were lit to provide lighting, and there were several shelves carved of stone that held things from towels, to buckets to hold water in.

She soon walked in a little deeper, where there was a cloth in the cave, and when she looked behind it, she saw glass. It reminded her of a dressing room back home, so she guessed that it was safe to change there.

She then fully walked inside the tiny area and made sure that the cloth covered her entire form. She stared at herself for a few moments.

Her uniform was completely drenched in her blood from the top of her neck, to her waistline. She felt even more disgusted as she noticed that the ends of her hair were also covered in the dark, rusty liquid.

She suddenly couldn't wait for that bath.

* * *

><p>"Ayame?" Inuyasha said as he looked at the red-haired female Wolf Demon.<p>

"Inuyasha?" Ayame responded as she looked at the white-haired half-demon. "What are you guys doing around here?" Ayame asked.

Inuyasha didn't bother to answer as he growled out. "Dammit! I thought you were that damn wolf Kouga!" he shouted. "And I've been wasting all that time, traveling close to that stupid village, expecting to find him and Kagome there." he muttered.

"What? My Kouga is with Kagome?" Ayame shouted, horrified. Anger and jealousy soon began to build up inside her. "Why would he be with her? And at a human village no less." She growled out.

"Never mind this," Inuyasha said. He then jumped back into the small clearing where the group was, and assumed his usual position.

"Inuyasha, did you find Kouga?" Miroku asked. He hadn't missed when Inuyasha yelled out the wolf's name and ran into the dense vegetation. He, for one, had found it a little odd that Kouga was this far—and knew that he was right when Ayame came out instead of Kouga.

"Does it _look_ like I found Kouga?" Inuyasha said irritated as the female demon's scent got closer to his nose.

"Ayame," Sango said. "What are you doing way out here? Shouldn't you be back at your tribe?" she asked. She stayed on top of Kirara and the cat approached the Wolf Demon further.

"Actually," Ayame started. "I was just on my way to go see my precious Kouga and work out a few things with him," her face turned sour. "But apparently I have more to do now that he's with that little wench." She snarled this out.

"Yeah, well, good luck with your stupid love crap," Inuyasha said. "Come on, let's keep moving. We now have to travel even longer to get to Kouga." He hated the fact that they had wasted so much time in hunting down Kouga, when in reality, it was actually Ayame. How the hell had he gotten their scents mixed up?

"Hold on!" Ayame shouted as the group turned to leave. "I'm coming along!" she said.

"Hell no!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "We lost enough time as it is, and we'll only lose even more if you're with us." He growled out.

"No you won't!" Ayame shouted. "I'll be able to help you get there even faster. After all, us Wolf Demons have certain ways to get to certain places quicker. If you allow me into your group, I'll be able to show you all the short cuts and we'll be at Kouga's cave in about a day and a half's worth of travel."

Ayame got a smug look on her face as she noticed how they all completely stopped to think about it. She knew that it was only moments before they would accept her offer.

"You're not lying, are you?" Inuyasha was the one to speak his sentence. He hated to admit this, but the thought of getting to Kouga's cave faster actually sounded appealing. After all, if Kouga did have Kagome, the faster he got there, the faster he can get her back and they'd be back on track.

"Of course not," Ayame said. "Demons don't lie. We're not afraid of telling the truth, no matter the consequences." She said. She wrapped her arms as she waited for Inuyasha's answer.

He smirked. "Yeah… demons don't lie." He said. He then turned to the girl. "Fine. You can come with us. Now, lead the way." He said.

Ayame turned around as she hid the smug look on her face. "Follow me." she said. She began to jump through the trees, and within seconds, Inuyasha was at her side. The hanyou turned to look at her.

"We better be there quickly." He said.

"Of course we will," she said. "I ran into Ginta and Hakkaku yesterday. I'm very certain that they're already back at the cave."

"That's how fast we'll be there." she said.

Inuyasha still didn't trust this girl, but as she momentarily stopped to kick a boulder, and a passage opened, he suddenly felt better for letting her tag along.

* * *

><p>"Really, you don't have to do this." Kagome said. She stopped talking while Yuksi poured some water on top of her head. Some of the blood began to get out and momentarily taint the water near her body, before it easily dissolved.<p>

"Yes I do," Yuksi said. She placed the bucket down as she grabbed more of the liquid she used to wash her master's hair, and began to rub it into Kagome's. "My master told me to give you a bath. And doing as she said, is the least I can do." she rubbed it in more and then once again, began to pour it out.

Kagome smelt the delicious scent of the liquid as some of her hair fell over her nose. It smelt just like vanilla—so, so good. She still couldn't believe how wonderful this bath was.

First of all, she didn't have to wash herself. Yuksi had redressed herself in a long, white kimono and had climbed into the water to give her a bath. With her body securely wrapped in a towel, Kagome let Yuksi wash off all the soaked blood that had stuck to her skin, and now, she was having her hair washed with something that smelt much better than the shampoo she had back at home.

"But…" Kagome had to stop talking as more water was poured over her head. She raised her hands up to her eyes and moved the water away from her vision.

Yuksi placed the bucket down again and grabbed a comb with large bristles that were separated a couple centimeters, and pulled Kagome's hair back as she began to untangle it.

"Why did you agree to do this? Isn't it a little degrading to give someone who you don't even know, a bath?" she asked. She knew that if she was ordered to do this, she wouldn't do it at all because it would certainly give a large blow to her pride.

"I don't mind," Yuksi said. "My master's done so much and more for me. She saved my life once, and being her humble servant is the least I can do." she said.

This got Kagome's attention. "She saved your life?" she asked. "I hope you don't mind but… _how_?"

Yuksi was silent as she let Kagome's hair fall back against the female's back before setting the comb down, and beginning to get out of the water. She then rolled up some of her kimono, and let most of the water fall to the floor. Then she piled up all the things she used to bathe Kagome in the bucket, and left it there.

Kagome grew disheartened at the female's sudden silence. She had actually started to feel a little comfortable around Yuksi, and she was worried that she had just blown the chance of her and the female becoming on friendly terms because of what she did.

"Yuksi…" she said. "If… if I went too far, I'm sorry—I—"

"No, don't worry," Yuksi said. She placed the bucket down in a spot far away. "I was just remembering…" she turned around with a fresh towel for Kagome to change into.

"Truth is," she said softly. "Before my master and I even knew each other… I was a part of a clan of demons that did… horrible, horrible things…"

"They killed humans and demons alike without even caring. They conquered so many lands and did so many things—especially to females…"

"One day… they were going to do the same to her, my master. She had just been travelling, she was just looking for some food to bring to a sick friend of hers. And when the head of my clan saw her, he immediately wanted to have her."

"But when he tried…"

A sudden shimmer of happiness grew in Yuksi's brown eyes. Her lips curved into a smile.

"She killed them all so easily. She avoided the ones who she knew wouldn't do harm. Then she went back to where everyone was and freed every person that was there. And in the end, I went to her. Her hands were covered in blood and her hair was soaked."

"To be honest, this isn't what I look like. I'm actually an animal, you know. But my master saw something in me, and she gave me this jewel," Yuksi paused to show Kagome the miniature white orb around her neck. It looked exactly the one she saw the girl wearing earlier today. "It allows me to change from animal, to demon when I please."

"My master gave it to me on that day. She placed it around my neck and I turned into this. Then she said to me, _"You want freedom… and I can see that. Come with me and I guarantee that your life will be better,"_."

"And it is." She finished with a smile.

"But… how? How was she able to take down an entire clan? How did she manage to free so many people? How wasn't she killed?" Kagome asked.

"My master can do incredible things, miko," Yuksi said. "She'll do things for others if she sees that they deserve what they want. You'll soon figure that out."

Immediately, a flashback of the female demon holding back one of her arrows with the swords she carried, flashed into Kagome's head. Oh, she believe that her master could do incredible things alright. She just wanted to know _how_ exactly she was able to do it.

"Yuksi!" At that moment, the white haired demon came into the room. Her purple eyes landed on Kagome for a moment and the human placed her hands over her chest, even though she was wearing a towel.

"Did you have a nice bath?" she asked her. Kagome was a little taken aback that she'd ask that, but nodded her head.

"It was lovely…" Kagome said. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," the demon said. "You deserve some luxury over what I did to you in order to get you here. But don't worry though, you won't be here that long, I believe."

"Yuksi," she said. "Let her wear one of my kimonos until her clothes are cleaned and dried. After she's dressed, bring her to my room and I'll change her bandages. Then make sure that she has something to eat, and after she's done, bring her _there_."

"Yes master." Yuksi said.

A smile suddenly grew on the female and her purple eyes slightly shined. "I told you to not call me that. We're friends. Drop the formalities." Then she turned around and left the room.

Kagome locked eyes with Yuksi as the female demon looked at her. "See," Yuksi said. "She isn't all that bad."

"Here you go," Yuksi said as she handed her the towel. "Change into this towel and I'll be back with one of my master's kimonos. Your clothes should be clean and dry by tomorrow." She said. Then she turned around and went back into the cave behind the waterfall.

A minute later, she emerged with Kagome's dirty clothes and began to walk through the entrance to the room. Kagome sighed after the white-haired female was gone and began to get out of the water.

She stood up on the wet stone, and then dropped her wet towel. Then she wrapped herself in the dry towel and grabbed the wet one before heading to the cave. The light inside was still nice and bright, and she placed the wet towel to the side, before heading to where the mirrors were.

She then looked at her reflection. She was glowing from the steam, and her skin was the cleanest its ever been. Touching her hair, she saw that it was incredibly silky, and it smelt absolutely amazing. Her skin had the scent of vanilla clinging to it, and she wondered how Inuyasha would react if he got a whiff of her scent.

"_He'd probably say I still stink," _Kagome thought. _"But at least this time I'll know he's lying."_ Whenever Inuyasha said that she stunk, she always lashed out at him and told him that she didn't, but honestly, she wasn't even sure.

I mean, with all the travelling under the hot sun, and the fact that all she ever had to wear was her uniform, she was never sure if Inuyasha was joking around or stating a fact. But now she knew that if he told her that after she had taken a bath exactly like this, that he'd just be a giant liar.

"Miko!" Kagome turned around and got out of the small mirror room, to see Yuksi come in with some fabric draped over her arm and wearing a different set of clothing.

"Ah, there you are," she said as she smiled. "I brought you one of my master's most comfortable kimonos. I ran into her when I had a different kimono, and she said that that wouldn't do. So, she dragged me back into her room and gave me this one. It's actually one of the softest ones that she owns." Kagome's eyes widened as Yuksi let her see the kimono.

It was beautiful.

It was a perfect, soft lavender color with dark purple designs on the skirt. The obi was the pure white color of both Yuksi, and her master's hair, and the sleeves were short, but still flow-y. It was truly a beautiful, beautiful kimono.

"Wow." She said.

"She also gave me a pin so you can tie your hair up with it," Yuksi showed her the pin and Kagome's eyes stayed on the beautiful flower that was on it. It shined and shimmered from the lighting of the candles. "And also a few undergarments similar to what you we wearing. Although, she doesn't have the top part." she showed Kagome a pair of panties that matched the purple color of the kimono. "But she just told me that if you wanted, you could have the top wrapped up in gongs, like she does. Being a female, she knows how uncomfortable it must feel to not have something covering _those_ areas."

"Come. I'll help you change."

Yuksi walked over to Kagome and placed everything down on a stone table next to them. Then she brought Kagome closer to her and handed her the underwear.

"Put it on." she said. Kagome blushed a little, but nodded her head. She then slipped the underwear on, in front of Yuksi, and once she was done, she noticed that the demon had a roll of gongs in her hand. "It's for your chest," Yuksi said. "If you'd like, I could wrap it for you, or you could do it yourself."

"Uh…" Kagome said. She was a little tempted to let Yuksi do it—that way, she could get the full experience of what she usually does for her master. But she knew that that would just be pushing it, and decided on doing it herself. "No thank you Yuksi, I can do it." she said.

Yuksi nodded and handed her the gongs. "Once you're done, come back out and I'll secure the wrappings and help you with the kimono." She said.

Kagome nodded her head and then walked back inside the room of mirrors. She made sure that everything was covered, before she dropped her towel and momentarily stared at her naked form.

Even though no one could really tell, she actually had a figure. Her hips still weren't as wide as they should be, but she was just starting out and it takes four years to grow a pair of good hips. Her breasts size was normal, nothing compared to Sango's, and her skin was pale and regular. Her eyes were a normal brown and her hair only reached a little past her breasts.

She wasn't the most stunning girl you've ever seen. But she was just starting out and already she could tell that by the time she becomes a woman, she will probably be turning a few heads.

Feeling some of the cold air against her pink nipples, instantly perking them up, Kagome decided to begin to wrap up her chest. She held one end of the gong in one hand, and placed it firmly in the junction between her two breasts, and then began to wrap the gongs around her with her other hand.

She continued to wrap, and wrap, and wrap, before she finally had all of her chest covered and noticed that they looked the same size they would be if she was wearing her bra. She then placed the small gong roll under her chin, as she bent down to grab the towel and wrapped it around her lower end before heading out to see Yuksi.

"Here," Yuksi said as she got closer to Kagome. She grabbed the gong roll from the female and then turned it a little so that it was on Kagome's back. Then, using her claws, she broke the gong piece and then wrapped it around another gong on her back, before tying it with itself, securely. "There you go."

She then placed the gong roll down and grabbed the kimono. "Hold out your arms please." She said. Kagome did as such and she placed each of her arms through the sleeves of the kimono one-by-one.

Then Yuksi moved to the front of Kagome as she began to adjust the kimono, and then she grabbed separate ends of the obi. She then started to wrap them securely around Kagome's waist, before moving to the back and tying the obi in its respectful way. Finally, she grabbed the clip and began to pin up Kagome's hair.

"Um… Yuksi… might I ask…" Kagome started.

"Miko, no need to be shy around here. Master is nice. And besides, I don't mind questions. Go ahead, feel free to ask." Yuksi said. She finished pinning up Kagome's hair.

Then she began to move around as she started to clean the cave so that it would look exactly as it should. When she moved to check if anything was in the small room of mirrors, Kagome caught a glimpse of herself.

Her eyes widened as she noticed just how beautiful she looked in the kimono. She didn't look average at all. The kimono reached a little past her knees and the color complimented her skin beautifully. With her hair pinned up, more of her face was visible, and her eyes looked almost bigger. She had never looked this beautiful before in her life.

"Alright, everything's clean," Yuksi said as she hung both of Kagome's towels to dry. "Come, let's get you to my master's room so she can change the bandages around your neck." Yuksi said.

Kagome snapped out of her daze and nodded her head. She followed close behind Yuksi as they walked from the exit of the cave and avoided the water of the water fall. They walked past the entire area and back into the large cave where she had been in, about two hours ago.

Yuksi began to lead her through the lit hallways and Kagome took the time to look around. For a moment, she began to believe that Yuksi and the girl were both Wolf Demons. I mean, they had the ears, tails, and lived in a cave. But if that was so, wouldn't there be more Wolf Demons around? I mean, so far, it looks like it's just Yuksi and her master. Which reminds her, she really needed to learn the girl's name and tell them hers.

Sure she knew that she was a miko, but she didn't exactly like being addressed like that. She smiled softly at this. She and the strange demon both had something in common. They didn't like being addressed by anything besides their names.

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><p>And so ends chapter one. I gotta say, at first, I was having a hard time deciding how to get Kagome captured by the female demon. I had thought of making her sense a jewel shard that the female's carrying, and then have her torture both Shippou and Kagome before dragging Kagome and leaving Shippou, but then I saw that that was a little ridiculous and would seem a bit bi-polar if I made her all mean one second, and then nice another. So instead I made Kagome get kidnapped that way, and next chapter is all about why she gets kidnapped in the first place. And also, she will stay kidnapped until, maybe, chapter four, but the very end. Anyways, I hope you liked this first chapter, and please review!<p>

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	2. A Difficult Task

And welcome back to the second chapter. I'm so happy that many of you liked this chapter. To be honest, I was a little worried that it'd be too much out of my comfort zone. After all, I was only writings stories about _Naruto_ and my own characters and when I started doing this one, I was scared that I hadn't captured their personalities as they should be. I mean, I've watched nearly all episodes of Inuyasha, but it's been a while. So please, if you see any OOC-ness, tell me so I can fix it and make sure to keep my characters realistic in future chapters. Anyways, this chapter may be a little boring, but it's all about why Kagome was captured in the first place. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own any original _Inuyasha_ characters; I only own my own characters and the plot.

Reviews

Kougaswoman1- I'm glad you loved it. It's been plaguing my my for… like… forever and just wanted to get it out there before I lost all motivation to try and write it. Plus, it's my debut into the Inuyasha fan fics and I wanted it to be good enough and show my writing abilities. Don't worry about reviewing, I hardly ever review the stories I read.

Kuu Kobayashi- here's the update. It's really a little filler chapter, but next one has much more action. I hope you love this one as well!

Anonymous- you did? What was its name? To be honest, this was inspired by one I read like… five years ago, but I forgot what it was called. Although, I only have the whole Kagome being a demon thing that that one had, everything else is pretty much my own thinking.

Princess Happy- not a fast update, but an update nonetheless! Enjoy!

Melmelx3- here's the next chapter. I'm glad you like it.

KagKougaFAN- it's head way, way, way far! The way I'm bringing Kouga and Kagome together is gonna be so, so _awesome_! Kagome just has to become a demon first…

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The Demonic Flower<strong>

_**Chapter 2—A Difficult Task**_

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><p>Kagome stayed silent as Yuksi began to guide her to where her master had wanted her to go. Just like her master had told her, Yuksi had brought her back to her room and she had her bandages changed.<p>

She was really amazed at how the female demon did everything. Although, because the work was being done on her neck, she couldn't exactly see just how bad her wound was, or what the demon did to heal it a little. All that she knew was that once, the demon dipped her fingers in a bowl full of clear water, touched her neck, the liquid made her feel completely cold, and then she felt a warming sensation before the demon was wrapping bandages around her neck again.

And of course, the meal she was given was good as well. Some freshly made rice with a little meat on the side. It was delicious along with the tiny glass of sake she had been given. She had been nervous at trying sake for the first time, but seeing as how Yuksi said that it wasn't as strong as others to prevent getting drunk, she took a sip and found that she liked the concentrated sake.

And now, she was headed towards somewhere else in the cave. She had to say, the cave was very glamorous and she would probably live there if she could.

It was comfortable, and the cold rock against her bare feet didn't bother her at all. The torches kept things nicely lit and made sure that the stone stayed a tolerable warm for all who walked through.

She had also learned that the cave wasn't all that big. It only had about five different rooms to it—as far as she could tell, that is. But now she was proven wrong as Yuksi turned a corner, she following, and then she noticed that there were four other openings.

"Over here," Yuksi said. "My master should be in this room." She said. She pushed the cloth covering it aside, and then entered.

Kagome soon followed inside and immediately her eyes landed on the white-haired figure over another form. The figure too, had white hair, only it was incredibly long and in a ponytail. The hair drooped together on the floor and Kagome was amazed by how incredibly long it seemed. She also noticed how there were streaks in the hair. They were very colorful and she noticed how one was a luscious green, but the other a vibrant red.

The figure then turned around and she saw that she had the same purple eyes as the demon that brought her there.

"Master," Yuksi said. The female narrowed her purple eyes and then Yuksi nervously laughed. "I mean, _Yayuki-sama_, I brought her just as you told me." she said. She motioned towards Kagome and the new demon, Yayuki, made eye-contact with the girl.

Kagome was now slowly putting tiny pieces together. Since Yuksi had called the long-haired female _Master_, that meant that this girl was also the one who brought her there; and that her name was_ Yayuki_. Her name, for some reason, fit her considering how the second part of it, _Yuki_, meant _Snow_, and that was the exact color of her hair.

"Thank you Yuksi," Yayuki said as she began to stand up. Kagome saw how she was now wearing a different set of clothing and was clad in a soft pink colored kimono with a soft yellow obi around her that had silver designs on it. She also noticed that her hair reached a few inches above the ground. She finally noticed how there were more streaks in her hair. "While I'm speaking to her, go make sure that no one is near here." Her words were fierce and obviously important.

"Of course Yayuki-sama," Yuksi said. Then the female left the room leaving Yayuki and Kagome alone.

"Miko," Yayuki said. "Come over here. I want to show you what I need your help on." she said. Kagome was a little bit hesitant but soon joined the female's side as she looked down at the other form on the floor.

Her eyes widened as she saw a badly beat-up male demon. He had scars covering his face and there were bandages completely covering his arms, legs and also probably his torso.

She saw how he had golden-orange hair, and had ears pointing from them—the ears were also wrapped up. He had pale skin, and from what she could tell, he seemed to be a good-looking demon. There was a blanket covering from his chest, down.

"His name is Hitomi," Yayuki said as she wrapped her arms under her chest and her eyes saddened. "He's a dear friend of mine and was damaged badly when he tried to protect me from an attack. I told him not to. I told him that I could handle it, but he did it and…"

She stopped as her voice began to shake. Kagome turned to her and saw that tiny tear droplets began to form under the demoness's eyes. Yayuki reached up with a clawed finger, and wiped the tear away.

"It's my fault that he's like this…" she started again. "I should've intervened or pulled him back or something… But I didn't. And he's been on the brink of death for over a month now."

"I've been trying my hardest to keep him stable… but there's only so much I can do with my power."

"That's why you're here Miko," Kagome made eye-contact with the female as she went on. "I want you to use your power and heal him. That's all. I know that it's very risky to try and use miko energy on a demon, but I looked into it and saw that it was the only way."

"So I've been looking for a miko to use for the past week. I ran into a few, but they all had useless energy. But when I saw your energy, with that arrow, I knew that you would be the only one to heal Hitomi—to save my best friend's life."

Kagome was stunned.

"_So that's why she brought me back here. She wanted me to save her best friend."_ She thought. Now it all made sense; especially her behavior.

Yuksi had told her of times when Yayuki acted the way she actually is. And she had to admit, she had become curious as to what changed the girl's behavior, but now she knew. Her best friend was dying. Who wouldn't have a total attitude change if their best friend was losing their life right before their eyes?

She understood now. She completely understood why she had gone to such extremes to get her here. And to be honest, she was a little flattered that she was trusting her with such a responsibility.

But the thing was, she just wasn't sure if she could. She had only had about a month's worth of training with Kaede, considering their constant travelling and whatnot. And also, she just wasn't sure if she could control her energy to heal and not harm a demon.

To do that would require constant control and years of training. She hasn't had that at all. She was still considered a beginner in her mind, but Kaede said that she had the experience of a miko of five years.

"_Well, if Kaede thinks I'm so experienced, maybe I am? Maybe I can heal this demon? Besides…"_ she glanced at Yayuki again as she stared down at Hitomi while still wiping tears from her face. _"I have to do something. She seems broken."_

"Okay," she finally said. Yayuki turned to look at her. "I'll heal him but… I might need your help. I don't exactly know how to keep from harming him." she said.

"I'll do anything as long as he lives and opens his eyes again." She said with determination in her eyes. She then finished wiping her eyes as she regained her composure.

"Okay," Kagome said. "Now, first, I have to see his worst wound. I'll work there first and then I can do all of the others easily. Plus, with the worst wound out of the way, he might just wake up." she said. Yayuki nodded her head and then went to the other side of him. Kagome followed and sat down next to the female.

"His worst wound is on his abdomen," Yayuki said. She grabbed the cloth and pulled it down a little so that it rested just above his waist.

Kagome's eyes widened as she saw all of the blood soaking through the bandages. She heard Yayuki take in a shaky breath as she too took in the sight, and, feeling sorrow for the girl, she placed her hand on her shoulder and squeezed it a little.

"It'll be alright…" she said softly. Yayuki was biting her bottom lip, and nodded her head a little.

"Thank you…" she said softly. Kagome was about to respond when Yayuki turned away from her and began to speak again. "He got the wound from a tree trunk being forced through. The demons attacking me had wanted nothing more than kill me because of what I did to a few of their _friends_. So when Hitomi intervened, they decided that they'd kill him first and then get to me."

"Hitomi managed to kill them all and only had the other wounds. But this one was gained at the very end, right before I killed the remaining demon. That demon was the head of that clan. It had been furious that its comrades were slain and then picked up the tree trunk, sharpened it and…" she stopped speaking. She was close to breaking down.

"I see…" Kagome said. She placed her hand over the wound and placed some pressure on it. More blood filled the gong and she removed her hand. She looked at it and noticed that it had tiny red prickles.

"It almost looks like it's fresh." She said with her eyebrows drawn together and concern filling her brown eyes. "This isn't good. We'll have to close the tissue around it first before we try to do anything else. At the rate he's losing blood, he'll die faster than usual."

"How do we do that?" Yayuki asked. Her strong exterior was completely gone as she began to hang onto every word the miko was saying. But this always happened. She always lost her cool when it came to one of her friends.

"I remember the woman who trained me, Kaede, telling me something about a flower that could be mashed up and made into a liquid, that stopped blood flow over a large wound, by clogging the vessels. If we find that flower and pour it over the wound after taking off the gongs, we could quickly clean it and then try to close it up a little."

"Of course, the liquid only works for about twenty minutes, so we'll have to work fast." Kagome said. Yayuki just nodded her head.

"What does this flower look like? I can go get it while you get any other thing you might need, ready." She said. She would usually send Yuksi to retrieve something like that, but considering the fact that it was her fault that Hitomi was like that in the first place, she knew that she had to do this herself. It was the least she could do.

"Um… it…" Kagome closed her eyes as she tried to remember just what that flower looked like, in the first place. "It has… brown leaves with… pricks all over it… and a red stem…" she said.

"Brown leaves, pricks, and red stem. Got it. I'll start searching for it right away. But first, does it have any sort of scent or something? It might help me track it down even faster." Yayuki said as she began to stand up. She then began to wrap her hair up as she waited for Kagome to respond.

"It kinda smells like… chocolate."

"Chocolate," Yayuki said with a confused look on her face. "What's chocolate?" she asked.

Kagome mentally smacked herself on her head. _"Of course she doesn't know what chocolate smells like. Chocolate hasn't been invented yet. Oh! And I left that bar of chocolate I brought with me, back in my pack."_ Now how was she supposed to get Yayuki to retrieve the flower? _"I guess I have to do my best to describe chocolate."_

"Um… chocolate smells kinda… woody, but still a little sweet." She said. _"Ugh! That was terrible! How the hell does chocolate smell like?"_

"Okay," Yayuki said. "I'll go find this flower that smells like chocolate." She then walked around the male and back towards the entrance. She momentarily paused to look back. "Sorry." She said. Then she disappeared.

Kagome was a little confused as to what she was actually apologizing about. But she figured that she was just apologizing to the unconscious boy about putting him in that state, and quickly brushed it off as she began to check for the other wounds.

She checked the arm close to her as she began to look over the injury. She touched the flesh tenderly and saw that it was softer than skin should be.

"_Either it's a scab from a large cut, or his skin was burnt to a crisp." _She really hoped that it was a scab. That way, it would be a lot easier to heal than burnt skin. And a lot less blood too because if it was burnt skin, she'd have to find some way to cut it off and then wrap it in gongs.

Sighing, she began to examine the rest of his body. The scratches on his face could be easy to deal with. In fact, she might be able to do something about them right now.

So placing her hand over his wounded cheek, she blasted some of her healing miko energy into it and then quickly pulled her hand away when she realized that she was actually _burning_ his skin and not healing it.

"_Oh no…"_ Kagome thought. _"When she comes back, she'll be so angry."_ And she didn't want to see that girl take her anger out on her.

Sighing, Kagome decided to just start to put ointment over the wound so that it would heal itself instead. Since it was fresh, a tiny stream of blood was beginning to pour out. So she got up from where she stood and began to look around the room for anything that she could use.

She noticed how it seemed that Yayuki was trying everything in the book to heal Hitomi, because the room was just _filled_ with tons and tons of stuff that she could use. There were several ointments, leaves, scrolls, towels, medical supplies and what not. She could really tell that the demon wanted absolutely nothing more in the world than to save the life of her best friend.

"_Funny,"_ Kagome thought as she began to head over to where there was a giant pale. She grabbed it and then moved it over to where there was a hole and some water. _"I never knew that demons _had_ best friends."_ She placed her hand in the water and saw that it was incredibly warm. It reminded her of a hot spring.

She quickly filled the tin pale up with water using a bucket that was right beside there, and then picked it up again as she began to move to closer to Hitomi. It was hard, considering how heavy the bucket was, but she finally succeeded in moving it and stood up and went to where there were cloths and other things.

She grabbed about three small cloths that she would use to clean the wound, dry the wound, and then place ointment on the wound—Kaede had taught her that applying ointment to wounds was more successful when not using your hand, because your hands carry many germs and they could easily go in the wound. So to prevent that, she suggested using a small cloth.

She then also grabbed a tiny bowl filled with liquid she easily recognized as healing ointment. It's clear green color couldn't be mistaken for anything else.

And finally, she grabbed some gongs and a tiny knife that she assumed, was for cutting the gongs. With all her supplies in hand, she turned back and took a seat close to Hitomi's face. Then she began to get to work as she dipped one of the three cloths into the warm water, rinsed it a little, and then began to lightly dab it against his skin. Realizing that while she was tending to that wound, she might as well do the other wounds on his face, she dipped the cloth in more water, rinsed it again, and began to clean the other small scars.

She continued the treatment for the next five minutes as she soon began to rub the ointment onto his face with the other towel. Then she placed it down and started to get the gongs. She used the knife to cut off a good piece, and then placed it on Hitomi's new and old wounds before beginning to wrap up his entire face.

She, of course, had to lift his head gently from time to time so she could wrap it around. She also avoided wrapping completely over his eyes, mouth and nose, so that he could eat, breathe and see once he woke up.

Once that was done, she decided to start on his arm wounds. Using the small knife, she carefully cut through the bandages covering his entire arm and her eyes widened as they saw the deep gash going from his shoulder blade, down to his wrist. It was a little bit healed, but she knew that it would be permanent.

"_Oh god,"_ she thought. _"How did he not lose this arm?"_ the cut seemed to be incredibly deep. Probably deep enough to scrape against his bone or something.

Shaking her head of the horror and deciding to get back to the task, Kagome moved his arm a little and realized that his bone was broken. And when she looked down at his hand, she saw that one was actually sticking out. That hadn't been a scab she felt earlier, it was bone! He needed a splint as well as a cast wrapped over to keep the bone in place while it slowly heals. But before she gets into that, she has to clean the large wound first.

Re-grabbing the towel, she dipped it in the still-warm water, twisted it to get some water out, and began to run it along the large cut. She cleaned it tenderly, very careful as to not cause him any more harm, and then started to dry it, and apply ointment.

She was almost half-way done with the bowl full of ointment when she was done placing it all over Hitomi's wound. But, before she got the splint, secured it around his arm, and wrapped it all up in gongs, she needed to do something about that bone in his hand.

As she stared down at it, she thought of what Kaede had once told her.

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><p>"<em>Kagome," Kaede said as she called for the young miko to get closer.<em>

"_Yes Lady Kaede?" Kagome asked. She took a seat next to the elderly woman as she was currently tending to a fractured man. His arm was bending at an odd angle and there was one bone misplaced._

"_I want you to see how I fix this bone. It's an important task that you must know, considering who the people you travel with, are." She said._

_Kagome nodded her head._

"_First, open up the skin where the bone is…" Kaede paused as she used a knife to slice open the male's skin. He screamed a little but soon stopped once he realized that Kaede was trying to help him, not hurt him—even though it didn't seem like it at the moment._

"_Now, once you have a view of the bone, press down on it and force it back inside. This is very painful to the patient and be prepared to hold them down if they struggle too much."_

_The woman looked at the tiny hint of white showing through the red as she caught sight of the bone. She then began to push down on it, her finger penetrating through some skin and forcing more and more blood out, as she used her hand to push the bone back._

_The man screamed harder than he'd ever had in his life, and started to struggle._

"_Hold him down." Kaede told Kagome as she struggled to get the bone the rest of the way in. Kagome did just as she was told and pushed the man back down by grabbing onto his shoulders and using some of her newfound strength to keep him pinned._

_Meanwhile, Kaede continued to fix the bone. It was now back in and she then grabbed a clean cloth and didn't bother with doing anything else, as she applied some ointment, blood still gushing, and then tied it on the man's hand._

"_It'll take a while for the blood flow to stop momentarily, and give his skin enough time to start slowly healing itself," she said. Kagome nodded her head as the man seemed to calm down a little and then began to get away from him._

_She kept her hands out though, ready to push him back in case he tried anything again, but was very happy that she didn't have to do so. Now, with her proper seat taken at Kaede's side, Kagome began to think about how she wished she would never have to do that to something. She had a feeling she'd be a little squeamish._

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><p>Sighing, she knew she had no other choice. She had to inflict a wound to help out a wound. "This is so topsy-turvy." She said. She then grabbed the small knife that was there and looked it, twisting it a little, before placing it over the part of Hitomi's hand where the bone was.<p>

She was close to placing it there but then stopped as she sucked in a breath. _"Come on Kagome," _she said to herself. _"You can do this. Just do exactly what Kaede did. Come on, come on!"_

She placed it to his skin again and pulled back as something came to her. She should clean that area with some antibiotic first, so that he won't get an infection.

Placing the knife back down, she stood up carefully and went back over to where there were several bowls and plants and liquids. She began to go through each of them—picking up the bowls to check out the color of the liquid inside and smelling them, feeling the texture of the plants and examining it, and searching for any labeling on the bottles that held other ointment.

Sadly, she found that none of the already-made liquids could be used as an antibiotic, but she knew that three plants that were in there could. So she grabbed an empty bowl, the three plants she needed, and a stone masher.

She then set all these things on a worktable and began to mash up the first plant. It's green color soon began to fade as it started to make a dark blue liquid. Kagome momentarily stopped to add some water as she continued to pound. Doing this to all three plants, she then placed the masher down as she looked at the antibiotic she had just made.

"Ya—oh, hello miko."

She turned around to see Yuksi in the doorway. Her face lightened a little as she smiled, grabbed the bowl, also a new cloth, and then began to walk back over to Hitomi.

"Hello Yuksi," she said.

"Hello. What are you up to?" Yuksi asked. She got closer to Kagome and looked down at Hitomi. Her eyes widened as she saw that his face was bandaged up a little, and that the wound on his left arm seemed to have been cleaned and ointment was added. "Ah, you're already healing Hitomi-san. And it seems like you've gotten far." She said.

"Thank you." Kagome said as she once again took a seat and then used the cloth she just got, and dipped it inside the freshly-made ointment. She began to wipe it over the area where the bone probably was.

"What are you about to do?" Yuksi asked.

"I'm going to fix a bone that's poking out. Then I'm going to bandage up his entire arm in a cast." Kagome said.

"A cast?" Yuksi asked.

"_Why do I keep forgetting that I'm not in my own time?"_ Kagome whined in her head. I mean, seriously, there was a _huge_ difference between _that_ time and _her_ time. She laughed nervously. "It's just a term I use for this technique that keeps the arm in one place, to help the bone heal faster." She finished cleaning and then re-grabbed the knife.

Yuksi seemed to get a little protective because her hand immediately went to her sword on her hip. Kagome noticed this and decided to explain herself.

"Relax Yuksi," she said softly. "I have to open up his skin to get to the bone."

"Oh… okay then…" Yuksi's grip on her sword relaxed as she began to take a seat across from Kagome, on the other side of Hitomi. "Forgive me for misreading your actions. It's just that I don't want anything to happen to Hitomi-san. Yayuki-sama would be quite mad if I let more harm come to him." she said.

"Well, in that case, just watch over everything I do." Kagome said. She then took in a breath, placed it against his skin, and began to slowly cut.

She bit her bottom lip as blood began to gush out. Only, it wasn't red, but black.

Yuksi gasped.

"He's poisoned!" she yelled.

"What?" Kagome asked. She momentarily halted in her actions as she looked at the white-haired female whose brown-eyes were incredibly large at the moment.

"H-he's poisoned!" she exclaimed. When Kagome gave her a look stating that she was confused, Yuksi went on. "Hitomi-san's blood isn't that black color. It's normal red. The only time it's like that is when he's poisoned. No wonder he hasn't awoken yet." She said.

"I have to tell Yayuki-sama!"

"Have to tell me what?" Yuksi and Kagome both turned around as Yayuki entered the room. Her arms were full of the exact type of flowers that Kagome wanted, and she had confusion glistening in her purple orbs.

"Yayuki-sama…" Yuksi said softly. She seemed to gulp a little, then looked at Kagome. Finally, she turned back towards her master. Oh… the pain Yayuki will feel in a matter of seconds. "Hitomi-san's been poisoned." She said softly.

Yayuki inhaled as her eyes widened. But that was it. She didn't exhale, or calm down, or become frantic. She just stayed frozen. In pure shock.

"_H-he's been poisoned…"_ she thought. _"My Hitomi-kun's been… poisoned."_ A few seconds later, the flowers fell out of her hands and she dropped to her knees. She became deaf to Yuksi's surprised scream. The sound of her heart breaking was all she could register.

Tears fell.

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><p>Three hours later<p>

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><p>"I still can't believe it," Yayuki said as she looked at the brown tea in the cup Yuksi brought her. "He's poisoned… how could I not figure out that the reason he was still asleep was because he's poisoned?" she yelled. She threw the cup but Yuksi caught it before it managed to hit the wall or floor and shatter. The tea created a tiny puddle beside her master.<p>

"Yayuki-sama," Yuksi said as she went over to where she had placed the tea supplies and set the cup down. "Please, calm down. Miko-san is working tirelessly to rid the poison from his body." She said.

"I know, but…" Yayuki stopped as she tried to rid the tears from her face. "It's just that… I feel so stupid you know. All this time I've been thinking that the reason he's not awake yet is because the injuries he had are worse than they seem—and that they have to be stabled and start healing for him to wake-up. But in reality…"

"It's a poison. A stupid poison that cuts off his demonic ability to heal himself,"—she took in a shaky breath—"I feel so stupid."

Yuksi's eyes saddened as she looked at the form of her master sitting at the small bench. She didn't look like the powerful person she actually was. Her hair was falling out of the bun she had placed it in earlier to go search for the flower Kagome told her of, her eyes were beginning to get red and puffy, her skin looked much paler than normal, and she looked defeated, broken.

"You shouldn't," Yuksi said. "It was a common mistake. We all make them." she said.

"You don't understand Yuksi!" Yuksi flinched as Yayuki's suddenly-raised voice seemed much louder due to her high-def hearing. "That poison could have easily made it to his brain and killed him! He could've been dead already! And it would all be my fault because I was too weak to stop him! Too stupid to look deeper into his injuries! It's all my fault!" she covered her face with her hands as she began to cry again.

"_Yayuki-sama…" _Yuksi thought sadly. Then she picked up the faintest scent of the miko. "Ah, Miko-san," Yuksi said as Kagome entered the tiny area with blood covering the edges of her kimono a little.

"Hello Yuksi… Yayuki…" Kagome said as she looked at the female who was now staring at her with tear-filled eyes. Droplets still rolling down her cheeks. "I just came to tell you that I managed to get the poison out and realign his bone. He should start recovering on his own by… tomorrow I think. And probably by the end of the week, he'll wake up."

"I'll just go back and finish up with his other wounds." She was about to turn away and walk back but was stopped by a sudden grip around her wrist.

"Miko," Yayuki said softly. "Are you being truthful? Will Hitomi-kun actually wake-up by the end of the week?" she asked.

"Well…" Kagome started. "I can't exactly pinpoint when it will happen. But I do now that within the next couple days, he will start healing himself. Probably by the end of the month—or next full-moon—he should have at least woken up once." She said.

Yayuki felt hope fill her as she heard this. _"He's gonna wake-up… Hitomi-kun will be awake soon!"_ she screamed in her mind.

"I knew you would be able to do it…" Yayuki said softly to Kagome. This surprised the miko as she looked into the eyes of the female that was about the same height as her. "I had a feeling—the second I saw your power—that you would be able to do this for me. Thank you, Miko." She said.

Kagome blushed a little at the hidden comment. "Oh, don't thank me just yet." Kagome said. "I still have to work on his other small injuries—plus the one on his abdomen." She said.

"Is there anything you might need to help fix the other wounds?" Yayuki asked. She was determined to get all of Hitomi's wounds healed before he wakes up. That way, he'll feel much better.

"Actually," Kagome said. "I need a lot of string and a needle so that I can stitch some of his larger wounds closed." She said.

"Yuksi," Yayuki immediately called out to her faithful servant and friend as she heard this.

"Hai Yayuki-sama?" Yuksi asked as she suddenly felt a little cheerier at what Kagome had said. She could also see the instant improvement in her master's demeanor as well.

"Head into the nearest village and acquire everything Miko—"

"Actually, my name is Kagome." Kagome finally said. Yayuki looked at her for a second before nodding her head at this.

"Forgive me—I mean, go into the nearest village and get the items that Kagome needs to finish up the healing. Make sure to get plenty, and disguise yourself to prevent any unwanted attention." Yayuki said.

Yuksi bowed. "Hai, Yayuki-sama. I shall return in a few minutes." Then she blurred away and now it was only Kagome and Yayuki.

"I'll help you while Yuksi returns," Yayuki said. Kagome nodded her hand and Yayuki released her wrist, before the two began to head over to where the room was, once again. Kagome was proud at the fact that she memorized the path there, and back, easily.

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><p>"So, I just poke it through his skin and keep doing this over and over until the wound closes?" Yayuki asked Kagome.<p>

The miko nodded her brown head. "Yes. While it may not seem like it helps heal his skin, it actually does. The sutures—which it what the technique is called—pulls his skin together and makes the cells come closer and closer. In time, the cells will connect and the sutures can easily come off, and all that will be left are tiny marks." Kagome said.

"I see," Yayuki said. She placed the sharp point of the needle into the skin on Hitomi's left arm as she began to close up the wound. She poked it through the other side, and then continued to string the skin along, back and forth. "Like this?" she asked.

"Exactly," Kagome said. She watched Yayuki smile softly, and then decided to go back to her own work. She was currently cleaning up the blood from Hitomi's right arm as she did the same bone technique again. She was glad that she had managed to do it so easily.

She finished drying the blood, and then grabbed her own needle and string as she began to suture that wound shut. Thankfully, it wasn't as long as the one on his left arm, and just reached a little past his elbow.

As she did this, she was slowly adding a little bit of her healing miko energy into the string to help close up the wound easier. She let out a sigh as she got to the end, cut the string, placed the needle down, and then began to tie the string on his arm. Then she got out the material that she would use as a splint—some soft tree bark perfectly rectangular—and began to align it with his arm.

She then began to wrap up the top half with the gongs, and continued all the way down until his arm was nicely covered, and she used the knife to cut off one end of the gong, and finally began to tie it so it'll stay.

"I must say Mi—I mean, Kagome," Yayuki started as she finished up the suture and started to tie it closed. "You're techniques are more advanced than that of other miko's. Why is that?" she asked. She too started to make a cast for Hitomi's arm as she began to follow what Kagome did.

"Oh, it's because…" Kagome momentarily stopped as she lowered the blanket covering his body a little, and pressed her arm against his chest to see if she could make out his pulse. "I'm a little… _different_ than other mikos. My techniques are really… not of this time." that's a good way to put it, right?

"I can see that," Yayuki said as she continued to wrap the gongs. "Your power is much more advanced than others. But there's also something very unique about yours." She said softly.

"Uh… thanks…" Kagome said. "You know, Yayuki, you're actually acting very different from how you were yesterday—or, from when you captured me." she said. She felt his pulse and saw that his heart beat was much better. It was now at a normal rate since the poison was gone.

"I know," Yayuki said. She began to tie the gong end closed. "When I captured you, I hadn't meant to be rough and cause you harm. I was just a little anxious to get you back here—to see if you'd be able to heal Hitomi."

"Forgive me for how I acted. It's not my true self actually. I'm really a very nice demon—well… I'm nicer than most demons. I respect humans. They've socialized with my kind for many centuries and we often protect them. But when the time comes, we also kill humans that are not what they should be."

"You mean, bad humans, right?" Kagome asked a little nervously. She was beginning to think that Yayuki would kill her if she learned that in reality, she wasn't ever supposed to come to that time and learn that she was the reincarnation of Kikyou.

"Correct—humans who hurt humans; or humans who use demons for their own selfish gain." Yayuki said. She finished up and let out a deep breath as she quickly changed the subject.

"What should I do next?" she asked as she looked at Kagome. Kagome was silent for a second.

"Well… does he have any injuries on his legs?" she asked.

Yayuki shook her head. "Not a single one. I made sure to double-check that when I found it a little suspicious." She answered.

"And since there's absolutely no more poison in his system, I guess that the only thing we have to do now is heal the wound is his abdomen and we're done." She said. She watched as Yayuki smiled softly.

"That's good. Should I help you prepare that potion that you made me gather the plants for?" she asked.

"Yes please." Kagome said. Both she and Yayuki stood. Her kimono still had a lot of blood to it, and she just knew that once they opened up the middle wound, it's pretty purple color would be lost forever as it mixed with red and became burgundy.

She walked around the unconscious male as she went back over to an area that she self-declaimed, a mixing area. All the plants that Yayuki had brought before were there, and so was a giant mixing bowl and masher.

They both began to place some of the plants inside, along with a small bucket-full of water, and then they started to mash and mix, mash and mix.

From time to time, Kagome would add another liquid to it that she remembered was needed; the plants were just the main ingredient. The mixing continued for another five minutes until all that was in the bowl was brown liquid that gave off the tiniest scent of cinnamon.

"It's ready," Kagome said. "Next, we have to pour it over the wound the entire time we open the bandages, and then we'll start healing it." she stated.

"So, will we be done before midnight?" Yayuki asked. Kagome nodded her head at this.

"Maybe a little sooner. It depends on just how large that wound is. Plus, with the fact that he is probably able to heal himself a little bit now, some of the wound could already be closed." She said.

"Then let's hurry so we can refresh ourselves. You must feel tired after an entire day's worth of healing, Kagome." Yayuki said.

Kagome grabbed a part of the bowl as she and Yayuki began to haul it over to where Hitomi was. They placed it down, and then went about to get supplies that they would need, to heal the very last wound.

"Oh, I'm not _that_ tired," Kagome said. "I could still stay awake for a few more hours."

"Nonsense, despite being a miko, you're a human," Yayuki said. "And considering the fact that I am, in fact, close to humans, I know that there is only so long that you humans can go without proper nourishment. And I have a feeling that you're pushing past your limits as it is."

Kagome stayed silent as she dipped an entire cloth in the liquid and left it there. She then grabbed the knife and was getting ready to open the bandages.

"While I open, grab the cloth and place it over the part of the wound that is being revealed," she said. "You have to do this quickly, because that's what's gonna help stop his blood flow long enough to let us work without the constant bother of blood." She said.

"I know. I remember you telling me this before I left to retrieve the plants." Yayuki said. She grabbed the cloth and prepared herself.

"Good," Kagome said. She took in a deep breath before finally saying, "Let's begin."

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><p>"You seem tired." Yayuki finally said. Kagome continued to wash her hands as she tried to get rid of all the blood covering them. She momentarily stopped to try and wipe the sleepy feeling away from her eyes, so she could hide the fact that she wanted nothing more but to go to bed, but failed miserably as a long yawn tore through her body.<p>

"Maybe… a little…" she said.

They had spent the past five hours working on Hitomi's last and greatest wound. Because they had made so much of the ointment to stop the blood flow, they had managed to keep the flow away long enough to get the wound sutured close.

She, of course, had sped up the process a little with her healing ability, and so had Yayuki. Together, the two managed to take out large chunks of the bark that had embedded into his skin, and even fix a punctured organ. It had been exhausting, to say the least, and she was just about ready to collapse, but she knew that she still had to be awake so that she could clean herself, and get rid of the kimono that was now entirely bloody in the front, as well as her arms and knees.

She couldn't just fall asleep covered in blood. In the morning, she would be so grossed out and just might throw up the food she had to eat this morning. And that would just be a terrible waste of such a good meal.

"Do not lie to me, Kagome," Yayuki said as she began to dry her hands with a cloth. "You are obviously close to collapsing. Come, I'll have Yuksi wash you down and bring you back to your room." She said. She placed the cloth down and then waited while Kagome did the same before grabbing the girl's bloody arm and beginning to drag her out of the room—where a fully-bandaged Hitomi now lay and slowly healed.

As they went through the halls, searching for the the female, Kagome couldn't help but notice how Yayuki seemed just fine. She was certain that Yayuki had to be much more exhausted than she was. Considering how she seemed to have travelled so far to get those flowers, under the hot sun, had very little to eat, and didn't stop using her energy the entire time.

"Yayuki," she finally said. Her voice was a little hoarse. "Why… how come you aren't tired?" she asked.

"I am tired—even more than you actually," Yayuki said. They turned another corner but still didn't see the white hair that belonged to Yuksi.

"But then… why don't you seem like it?" she asked. She had to know how it was that this girl seemed perfectly fine. She was practically bathed in blood from her toes, to some of her white hair.

"I'm a demon," Yayuki said. "Us demons can go on much longer than our breaking points. It's an ability that we often use to fight wars and whatnot. Although, I've gone much, much farther than my breaking point. But I refused to fall asleep until I knew for sure that Hitomi-kun would be fine. Maybe tonight I'll finally give into what Yuksi says and just let her take over the watch."

"And exactly how long has it been since he's gotten that injury?" Kagome asked softly.

"About three months."

Her eyes widened as she heard this. That demon hadn't fallen asleep for an three months? How is that even possible? She was certain that if she hadn't fallen asleep for three months, she'd—she'd never be able to stay awake for an entire three months! It's impossible! At least, to a human it's impossible.

"Ah, there you are Yuksi!" Yayuki exclaimed. The other female turned around as she approached her master and Kagome.

"Yayuki-sama, Miko-san, hello," Yuksi said.

"Where have you been?" Yayuki asked.

"I was out patrolling for the night." Yuksi responded. Just then, Yayuki noticed the tiny splatter of blood on Yuksi's white and grey kimono with the black obi around it.

"What demons were they?" she asked. Normally, she'd catch their scent and make them out, but she knew that neither her, nor Yuksi left the scent of anything or anyone whenever they left an area. It was a way to stay hidden from the world.

"Demonic bugs," Yuksi said. She raised a hand to wipe away some specks of blood off her cheeks. "They were purple and yellow, with white around their faces and large red eyes. They were quite difficult to take down, because there were so many, but I managed to relieve the nearby areas of all of them." she said.

Kagome stayed silent as she began to analyze Yuksi's description of the bugs that were nearby. _"They sound like Naraku's poisonous insects."_ She thought. She was about to speak up about this but found that her throat was too dry and sore to do so.

"Good job. Now, I want you to wash Kagome and then take her to her room. She's quite exhausted and is very close to falling asleep entirely." Yayuki said.

"And what about you Yayuki-sama? Aren't you going to bathe and rest as well?" Yuksi asked.

Yayuki shook her head. "I'll rest during the day. I find it safest considering how more trouble tends to come out during the night." She said. Yuksi gave her a disapproving look and Yayuki sighed.

"You need to rest as well Yuksi. But I promise you that I shall fall asleep the moment that the sun comes up, in a few hours." She stated.

Yuksi got closer as she began to take a hold of Kagome. The young miko walked with wobbly footsteps as she kept constantly yawning and her eyes watered—signaling that she had to go asleep that instant. But Kagome refused to go asleep. She still needed to shower and get some clean clothes on.

"You better Yayuki-sama." Yuksi said as she finally had a hold of Kagome and helped the girl keep her balance. Yayuki just frowned a little and walked away. Yuksi sighed as her master's snow-like hair disappeared after turning a corner.

She then decided to get Kagome cleaned and dressed quickly, so that the human miko could rest. She could sense that her body was probably 97% fatigued at the moment, and was just seconds away from dropping. So she turned around and began to take the girl back to the large area that held the waterfall.

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><p>And that's it. I hope that you all liked this chapter. I know that it was a bit boring, and that I skipped several parts, but I was kinda finding it a little difficult to limit Kagome's medical knowledge to what Kaede taught her, and also to what she's learned from her own time. I didn't want to make it seem like she knew everything. But anyways, now you know why she was kidnapped, and just so you know, she's not going back to the group just yet. She will go back in chapter five, but until then, she's staying at that cave. Next chapter has different parts to it and I promise will be much longer. Why? Because Inuyasha and the gang show up at Kouga's cave with Ayame. It's gonna be good!<p>

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	3. If You Didn't Take Kagome, Who Did?

I love writing this story. It's my very first _Inuyasha_ fic and already I'm doing pretty good on it. At this rate, I'll probably end up with another five _Inuyasha_ fics because I have so many ideas and just want to have them all down on paper already—I mean, type them all on my laptop, ha-ha! But any who, thanks to all of you who reviewed this story. You're all fantastic people and I'm so glad that you find it interesting. And I promise, you will all see how this is a Kagome and Kouga fic in the future, and there will be lemons, and betrayal—just not in that order. But whatever, just enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha_ characters; I only own my own and the plot.

Reviews

Melmelx3- No need to wait anymore! Kouga is finally here! Yay! Oh good… So I guess I have nothing to worry about… for _this_ chapter.

Princess Happy- So glad you like it! Sorry that I couldn't update as soon as possible, though.

DarkFlameInfernal- yay! Much love!

Team-Sooric-Delena- Sadly, the chapter isn't up soon, but it's up! Yeah… I severely doubt Kouga will enjoy Inuyasha's little _visit_. And worst of all… No Kagome! Wah! He's gonna _hate_ that!

BlackFoxGun- Inuyasha crying… hm… I would love to see that as well, but in order to not make it so OOC, I would have to make the situation even _more_ dire, and create the illusion that—hey! I could totally do that! Just, not in this part of the story. A little in the distant future might work better… And you're welcome!

Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf- your eagerness is what encourages me to write more. I'm so glad you like my OCs. I plan to let them have an important role in the story, but not so much that they'll over-shadow the main couple. Nope. Just a few appearances here and there. I'm working on making them even more realistic, including the original _Inuyasha_ characters. And you're welcome!

Aftonen Lune- hm… that's a little issue. I don't want Kagome to be too OOC. But, in my defense, she was panicking… wouldn't she have done that if she panicked (although, I like how you called it an _Inuyasha_). I guess that would've been better, but at the same time, she had held a blade to her, menacingly… isn't that enough? Apologizing… too trusting… Eh! So much. But (and yes I'm defending myself again) the reason Kagome is so trusting is because of Yuksi. I mean, Yuksi's very trustworthy and she opened herself to Kagome… Although… maybe that wasn't enough? Sigh… Thanks for commenting. I'll be sure to not make her too OOC anymore. But if I do, I hope I can count on you to point it out, so I can work on correcting it (and I'm not mad). Yay! I'm so happy! I'll be sure to revise it a little better, maybe re-read it a second or third time to make sure that there aren't any grammatical errors. Thank you! :)

Foxykitten2992- thank you! I'm glad that you enjoy it so much. I plan on making them a little more detailed as I get better and better (and less lazier) with describing things. And yes, I'm going to continue it. I'm just a bit of a lazy bum sometimes… heh, heh (sweat-drop). And you will. You will read the last chapter, and then read another Kouga and Kagome story that I'm planning to do. And I know how that feels—the disappointment of when such a good story is stopped… that's why I'm not stopping this story until the end.

Also, I realized that in a previous chapter, I said I would return Kagome back to the group in chapter four. This has been changed, and is stated in my last author note for this chapter. Be sure to check it out!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The Demonic Flower<strong>

_**Chapter 3—If You Didn't Take Kagome, Who Did?**_

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><p>Inuyasha growled as the stench of Kouga's wolf pack got closer and closer. Just like Ayame had promised, they had managed to make it there in about a day and a half's worth of travel. They would've made it there sooner though, had the others not wanted to rest and eat for the night. But he made them pay for their little delay, by forcing them to go through a terrible storm.<p>

Which they were still in, at the moment.

"Inuyasha!" Sango yelled over the heavy wind and rain that was pelting down at her. "We should stop until it lightens a little! It's getting harder and harder to travel and we might get injured!" she yelled. She had an arm shielding her eyes a little bit from the rain as she tried to maneuver Kirara, who was slowly walking, through the muddy ground and blurry atmosphere.

"No! Fucking! Way!" Inuyasha shouted. "This is all your fault for wanting to stop! You can rest all you want when we reach that dumb dog's cave!" he shouted.

He slammed his tessaiga into the ground as he continued to use it as a stabilizer. He moved up more as he held onto tessaiga tightly, and then picked it up to slam it back down into the earth once again.

He hated how this stupid storm had just come out of nowhere. A few hours ago, it was nothing but sun and slight wind, and they were moving impossibly fast. And then, without a warning, thunder boomed, lightning flashed, and they were in the middle of a storm.

It annoyed him to hell that it just _had_ to start when they were only a few miles away from Kouga's cave. But even so, the scent of wolves was beginning to die down because of all the water. They had to get to Kouga's cave quickly. Kagome had now been missing for three days and the others were beginning to worry more and more about her.

And he wasn't one to admit this, but he was worried as well. That pool of her blood that he had seen when Shippou took them to where Kagome was kidnapped, still popped up in his mind every now and then.

It reminded him that Kagome could possibly have already bled to death, or was in the process of doing so, or she was being tortured in several different ways by the demon that had done that to her. He could already imagine her limp, lifeless body just swimming in a sea of the metallic red liquid.

It made him keep moving forward.

Grunting, he slammed tessaiga once again into the earth as he continued to move forward. Up ahead, he could see the several cave systems, with the entrances blocked a little to keep the wind and rain out, that belonged to Kouga's tribe.

He could practically imagine the fight he would have with the stupid wolf to get Kagome back. Of course, in the end, he would end up winning and get back the miko. Then he would rip the jewel shards out of Kouga's legs, so that travelling for all that time wouldn't be a total waste.

Stopping momentarily to catch his breath, Inuyasha once again looked up at the rocks behind wet, white bangs. His face was a little flushed with color, and he began to catch his breath.

"_Hold on… Kagome…"_ he thought. _"I'll be there in a few minutes."_

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><p>Three days.<p>

She had been there for three days, without even trying to find a way to get out, or at least get a message to the others stating that she was fine.

But then again, it wasn't like she wanted to leave just yet. She enjoyed the opportunity to take in a few luxuries once in a while, and was also learning a few things about herself that she would have never had the time to figure out if she was still travelling with Inuyasha and the others.

One example of this was the fact that she knew enough about the medical business to heal extreme wounds. Had she known this before, she probably would've managed to heal some of the wounds that Inuyasha inflicted on himself while battling. She also could've helped Miroku out when he got that broken arm, and even Shippou when he got a few burns from sleeping too close to the fire.

She could've easily solved all those problems had she had enough time to recall everything that she was taught. But that was the thing, she had never had enough time to just sit and think.

The only time she could ever manage to get for some relaxation was when she fell asleep, and that time always felt short because of the fact that she was asleep and unable to enjoy it.

But now she pretty much had all the time in the world. So, as she sat in a room that held polished furniture made out of wood, and took a sip of the hot tea that had just been brewed a few minutes ago, and listened to the sound of the rain falling, she enjoyed every second of the relaxation time.

Just like yesterday, when she first woke-up, she had found Yuksi in her room, only, she was bringing her, her uniform. Yuksi had asked if she wanted to wear it, and for a second, Kagome was tempted to say _yes_.

She had planned to travel back to the others on that day, and wanted to go back wearing her perfectly clean uniform. But soon she realized that her throat was still bad, and had finally picked up the sound of the rain and immediately knew that she wouldn't be able to head back to the others, so she shook her head _no_.

Yuksi nodded and had then left the room to fetch her a kimono and some new wrappings and underwear. She had then handed them all to Kagome and led the female to a room that held an indoor hot spring.

"_We only use this one when the weather outside is not at its best,"_ Yuksi had told her after she questioned why she hadn't seen that one yesterday.

The hot spring bath was even more wonderful than the waterfall bath; and just like before, Yuksi had been the one to scrub her down and wash her hair. Again, she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world as she looked at herself in another room of mirrors, after she had on the soft pink-colored kimono with green designs on it and a pink-orange obi.

Oh yes, she definitely enjoyed spending time at wherever she currently was. Everything was just so relaxing and soothing. And the fact that she now had someone to test out her medical abilities on, was also a nice addition.

She sighed as she set the empty tea cup down and ran her hand through her tied-up hair. Since she's been there, her bangs have always been pulled back and she's begun to notice that she really is a pretty girl. She wasn't sure why she was so insecure about her looks before.

"_Now I see why demons go after me."_ she had never understood why many of the male demons they've encountered, suddenly tried to go after her and not Sango.

She had always thought that Sango was the prettier of the two. After all, Sango was a woman and wore makeup, had a figure, and seemed much more confident than her. But after she stared at herself in that mirror for more than two minutes, she began to see it.

Her eyes were really, very mesmerizing. And when she smiled, they seemed to sparkle a little. She had nice cheekbones and her lips were pink and plump, but not entirely full, just yet. Her body was slender, and she was just starting to grow curves, but she had a generous chest-size for a girl her age, and her pale skin was complimented by the light pink kimono, beautifully.

And because of that, she's decided that the next time she goes home, she's packing some clothes that are the same color as the kimono, to wear around. She was growing tired of always walking around in her schoolgirl uniform and eventually ruining them too.

"Ah, Miko-san, here you are."

Kagome looked up as Yuksi entered the room. Yuksi looked very pretty in her soft yellow kimono, with the bright orange obi and no design on it whatsoever. She had her white hair twisted and pulled back a little by a clip, and the short kimono reached a little above her knees, with two slits in them, and a cream-colored skirt underneath. Her tail swished back and forth.

"Hello Yuksi." Kagome said as she greeted the nice demon. She had to say, she enjoyed Yuksi's company. It was because of her that she started to feel better about being at that place, after Yayuki had kidnapped her and brought her there.

"Did you enjoy the tea?" Yuksi asked as she came closer.

"Very much, actually," Kagome said.

"I am so glad. I had meant to give some to Yayuki-sama when she awoke, but I am afraid that she is still asleep—so you can have the rest if you would like." Yuksi said.

"Thank you," Kagome said. She stood up, with her little cup in her hand, as she went to grab herself another drink of tea. It was just so deliciously warm and calming. She was addicted.

Once she had her tea and was seated again, Kagome blew into the cup before taking a long drink and having the liquid flow down her throat like golden honey. She then removed it from her lips and sighed. It tasted absolutely fabulous. Yuksi sure did know how to whip up a batch of tea.

"So," Kagome started as she placed the tea on the table. "What will you be doing today Yuksi?" she asked.

"Well… after the storm stops, I will patrol the area again and then maybe will run and get a few more supplies for food and whatnot. We are almost out of bread and milk." She said.

"You know Yuksi, I've realized that you're being sent out on patrols a lot. Why is that?" she asked.

Yuksi stayed silent for a few moments as she went to grab her own cup of tea. The silence remained for five minutes before the white-haired, yellow-clad female took her seat again, blew into the tea, sipped, and then began to speak.

"It is really very complicated actually…" Yuksi said. "And I am afraid that I cannot disclose any high-ranked information, but basically, Yayuki-sama does not want others to know of Hitomi-san's current state. It could cause trouble among Yayuki-sama's land—something she is not up to, dealing with." She said.

Kagome became surprised.

"Why would Hitomi's condition cause trouble?" she asked.

"Forgive me Miko-san, but I cannot say any more," Yuksi said. "Yayuki-sama would be terribly crossed with me if I told you anything else."

"Okay then Yuksi," Kagome said. "I understand. After all, I'm pretty sure that you swore that you'd keep it a secret from anyone else. And despite the fact that I'm beginning to see that Yayuki is a little nice, I'm pretty sure that she'd become angry once she heard that I knew." She said.

"And I don't want to see her when she's angry."

"Neither do I…" Yuksi said.

They stayed silent as the rain became the only sound heard. A cool rush of wind entered the room and caused goose bumps to form on Kagome's —what she now saw was—flawless skin. She placed the tea cup down as she began to rub at her arm to get rid of the goose-bumps.

Once they were partially gone, she finished up her cup and then looked back at Yuksi. "What do I do with the dirty cup?" she asked.

"Just place it to the left of the counter, I will get to it later after I finish my own cup of tea." Yuksi said.

"Okay," Kagome said as she placed the cup where Yuksi said it should go. "I'll go check on Hitomi now. He should be feeling a lot better than he has for the past months." She said.

"How do you know that Hitomi-san has been like that for the past months?" Yuksi asked as she questioned the miko. She was pretty certain that she hadn't said a single word as to how long Hitomi was actually like that.

"Yayuki told me," Kagome said. Then her features changed. "Is it true that she hasn't fallen asleep for about three months until today?" she asked.

"Afraid so."

"Why?" Kagome asked.

Yuksi sighed as she finished her cup and then went to place both her and Kagome's cups in a basket with cloth padding it to keep the dishes from breaking. "She feels guilty." Yuksi finally said as she began to gather up other dishes.

"Yayuki-sama believes that it is all her fault for letting him get like that. Yesterday she began to blame herself even more for not figuring out that the reason it was taking him so long to heal, was because he had poison inside of him. It completely devastated her."

"But I am just glad that she is asleep now. As tough as Yayuki-sama may be, she cannot go pushing her body to such extremes." With all the dishes collected, Yuksi hoisted the basket up and began to walk to a separate exit other than Kagome's.

"It is all thanks to you that my master is finally able to rest without a guilty conscious, like before. Thank you Miko-san." Yuksi said before turning around and leaving the room.

"You're welcome." Kagome whispered softly. Then she also turned around and began to walk over to Hitomi's room. She had a feeling that once the demon woke from his coma, that he'd feel better than he ever had in his life.

She just hoped that he didn't wake-up while she was changing the bandages on his wounds, otherwise, she might find herself in a very uncomfortable situation, very easily.

* * *

><p>.<p>

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><p>He smelt them before they had made it to the mouth of the cave. The smell of that wet mutt and Ayame—two of the three people he hated to see the most—was easily made out even with the heavy rain pelting down on his land. After all, he always managed to make out important scents to him, even in the toughest weather.<p>

And that's why when he didn't smell Kagome's usual scent of honey and flowers, he began to become curious as to why his beloved miko wasn't with the damned hanyou.

Jumping down from where he was positioned above all of his cave systems, dripping wet in the rain with his bangs almost covering his eyes, Kouga slid down the rock easily and touched the ground in a matter of seconds. He then began to sprint through the mud and wet grass as he got even closer to the group.

He tried to search for Kagome's scent again. Maybe she was just hiding behind something or the rain completely washed it away? But when he finally saw them, and made out all of them except Kagome, he instantly began to worry.

When he and Inuyasha's eyes clashed together, they both glared before shouting the exact same thing.

"Where the hell is Kagome?"

Both males became silent as they stood in the downpour. The wind was gone, but would pick up every now and then for only a few seconds. They looked directly into each other's eyes as they slowly started to register what they had said. Kouga was the one to break the silence first.

"What the hell are you talking about your mutt?" he shouted. He wasn't sure why Inuyasha would ask him where Kagome was. He honestly hasn't seen the beautiful miko for several months now, even though he was itching to do so.

Several times, he had considered leaving for a few days just to go see her lovely face. But then something always got in his way and he was forced to push his plans back into later times. What was supposed to be a few days' delays, turned into weeks, and then months. He was a little afraid that it'll soon hit years and that by the time he sees Kagome again, that she'd be mated to Inuyasha.

The very thought of the only woman he's ever loved, mating with a pathetic half-demon annoyed him. He'd prefer Kagome to be mated to him, and while he knew that their kids would be half-demons themselves, he also knew that they would be strong like their parents.

So it didn't make sense as to why the hanyou would ask him that pathetic question. Unless…

"You idiot! What the hell did you let happen to Kagome?" Kouga shouted. Fury began to build up in him as he thought about the danger that Kagome could possibly be in.

"Me? Shut up you stupid wolf! I didn't let a damn thing happen to her! Now stop trying to cover it up and give her back already!" Inuyasha shouted.

"What the hell are you talking about? I haven't seen Kagome in months!" he shouted back. He momentarily moved back strands of his hair as they started to block his view of the white-haired half-demon. Inuyasha did the same as he took the time to look into what Kouga said.

"Stop lying! I know that you sent one of your stupid pack members to capture Kagome!" he shouted.

Kouga was stunned. While he loved Kagome, and would do anything to see her, he would never capture her and bring her back to his caves against her will.

He wanted Kagome to be completely happy when she came to his cave. He wanted her to come there because she wanted to after she finally realized that Inuyasha wasn't good enough for her and that she should be with him instead. He would never take her like some of those savage demons that he always runs into.

He wasn't like that.

Anymore.

"What? I never did that!" Kouga shouted.

"Yeah right! And I suppose you didn't have them hurt Kagome when she refused!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Inuyasha!" Sango called out through all the shouting and rain. "It doesn't look like Kouga has a clue as to what you're trying to say! Maybe he wasn't the one to take Kagome?" she implied.

She was pretty sure that judging by Kouga's reaction, that he hadn't taken Kagome at all. Besides, it just didn't make sense to her. That pool of blood that obviously belonged to the brown-haired miko couldn't have possibly been inflicted on her by a member of Kouga's pack.

She knew that all of Kouga's tribe absolutely loved Kagome and worshiped her like some kind of goddess for helping them win the fight against the Birds of Paradise. Not a single one of them would hurt her without having to deal with Kouga later.

And she was pretty certain that the wolf tribe leader wouldn't take mercy on a member of his own pack if they harmed the woman he loved.

"What? How the hell could you say that Sango? It's obvious that Kouga took her! Shippou described a Wolf Demon!" he shouted.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku started. "We aren't even sure if who took Kagome_ was _a Wolf Demon! It could also be an imposter!"

"What?" Inuyasha shouted. Fury began to build up in him as he thought about how much time they had just wasted in finding Kagome's kidnapper, if Kouga truly wasn't the one to take her. They could've already found a clue leading them as to her current whereabouts in the time they used, travelling to the Eastern Wolf Tribe caves.

He growled.

"Dammit!"

Kouga, not being one to like being forgotten, got closer to the group as he intended to set the record straight. He had heard what they said. And he was hell bent on clearing up his tribe's name.

"Listen you damn mutt," This instantly caught Inuyasha, and everyone else's attention as he stood about a foot away from the wet dog. "Neither I, nor a member of my tribe took Kagome. Trust me, if I had her, you'd never see her again." He said with a fierce glare in his blue eyes.

Inuyasha's golden eyes narrowed. "Like hell you'd ever get Kagome!" he reached for the hilt of his sword, but was stopped by Sango.

"Inuyasha, now is not the time to go picking a fight," she said. "We have to rest up so we can go search for Kagome once this storm stops." She said.

"Rest up? Why the hell can't we continue now?" he shouted.

"Because we won't get very far in this rain!"

"Sango's right Inuyasha," Miroku said. "If we try to continue on, we'll just get lost and lose even more time." he then turned to Kouga. "Kouga, can we stay at your cave until the storm clears?"

Ignoring Inuyasha's proclaim of, _"What the hell?"_ Kouga answered. "Fine…" he said. But then he turned to look at Inuyasha. "But the mutt sleeps outside."

Without letting Inuyasha pick another fight with the Wolf Demon male, the group began to penetrate the rain as they walked the few kilometers it took to reach Kouga's caves. At first, Inuyasha wasn't walking with them, moping that they were stopping again and had to rely on that mangy wolf for shelter. But after realizing that what Sango and Miroku said was true—but deciding to never admit it—he began to follow the group to the caves.

Ayame, who had been quiet the entire time, and like Shippou, watched the interaction between the other four, was secretly checking out Kouga and couldn't help but feel a little relieved that Kagome wasn't with them. _"Maybe now I'll be able to win his heart."_

* * *

><p>.<p>

* * *

><p>The rain had lightened down to a soft drizzle, and despite it being nearly the afternoon, the land was covered in a small haze.<p>

Kagome finished up with re-bandaging all of Hitomi's wounds, and started to put away the supplies. He was doing better, she concluded. Many of the wounds were healing faster than usual, and very soon she could take out all of the stitches and let the skin finish melding itself on its own.

She quickly washed her hands of a little blood that she had gotten on herself when she accidently tore a few skin cells in Hitomi's abdomen as she began to cut away at the bandages there.

But she quickly fixed the tiny wound, stitching it securely shut, and went about with the rest of the healing.

She dried her hands on a cloth and began to quietly leave the room. She had to admit, healing someone took a lot of energy; especially when that someone was a demon. She was also still having trouble making sure that she didn't harm him with her miko energy. He was bad enough as it was and didn't need any more injuries slowing him down.

She fixed the cloth that covered his room and then began to make her way back to her room. She started to run her fingers through her hair as she fixed the strands that had managed to escape the bun her hair was in, while she quickly moved around and worked.

She rubbed her scratchy throat when it started to irritate her. The wound still wasn't healed, and some blood still leaked out every now and then. Despite that she now knew a lot about healing, she still wasn't sure how to heal a wound like that without damaging her vocal cords.

"_I should probably have the bandages changed." _She thought. Knowing that Yayuki was the only one who had done that for her, she quickly changed her course and took a left, instead of a right, as she headed for the demon's room.

Once she was there, she paused to see Yuksi come out of the room, and soon the white-haired female smiled at her as their eyes made contact.

"Miko-san," Yuksi said. Kagome noticed how her voice was particularly softer than usual.

"Hello Yuksi. What were you d—"

Kagome was shushed instantly.

"Please Miko-san, do not speak so loudly…" Yuksi paused to pull some of the cloth covering Yayuki's room back, to check on her master. She then turned back to Kagome. "Yayuki-sama is still asleep. I do not want her to be awoken." She said.

Kagome nodded her head as she understood.

"Okay Yuksi, sorry," she said.

"It is okay; you had no clue. Now, what was it that you were about to see Yayuki-sama for?" Yuksi asked. She got closer to Kagome and began to lead the miko away from the room so that they could talk much easier. Besides, her master needed her rest.

"Oh, I simply wanted to get my bandages changed. They're beginning to feel scratchy, and I've had them since yesterday morning." She said. She brought her hand up to her throat as she began to rub the white material. With highly trained eyes, you could easily see the tiny specks of red as blood began to leak through.

"I see…" Yuksi said softly. "Do not worry Miko-san, I shall change the bandages for you." she said.

"You will?" Kagome asked. Yuksi nodded her head with a tender smile on her face. "Oh thank you Yuksi. I've been wanting to learn to change them myself but…" she trailed off as she tried to figure out the right way to phrase what she wanted to say.

"I understand—your healing skills are limited in certain areas." Yuksi said. They were now nearing Kagome's room. "If you would like, I could gladly teach you what Yayuki-sama has taught me. It might come of aide to you once you return to your friends."

At the mention of her friends, Kagome's mood saddened a little. All of that work she had just previously done had kept her from letting her thoughts wander back to the people who were probably thinking that the worst has happened to her, when in reality, she was being well-fed, well-dressed, had shelter, and was being treated very nicely.

She wasn't being held in chains and tortured or being taken advantage of, at all. It was the complete opposite. But she knew that the others had absolutely no clue about that.

And it made her feel a little horrible, it really did, to have others think something when it wasn't like that at all. In a way, it was like she was deceiving them, lying to them, lying to people who were practically her family here in the Feudal Era. Where Sango was her mom, Miroku her dad, Shippou her child and Inuyasha… her brother.

They were her family, who were worried sick about her and probably turning villages upside-down and questioning anyone and everything to find out where she was.

Her new mood did not go unnoticed.

"Miko-san, is something wrong?" Yuksi asked. She went inside Kagome's room—which was comfortable by the way—and headed over to where her master had placed everything needed in order to change Kagome's bandages.

"Well…" Kagome started. She took a seat on top of a stool that was there and tilted her head back a little while Yuksi began to work. "It's just that… I miss my friends…" she finally said.

Yuksi cut one part of the bandage with her sharp claw, carefully slicing as to make sure not to knick the skin, and then began to unwrap the bindings. "That is very understandable," she said as she continued to unravel the wound. "I know that before, when I was away from the ones I loved, I would always become depressed."

"You did?" Kagome asked.

"Why of course Miko-san. It is only natural that we lose much of our hype once we are far from the ones we have taken to." she set her brown eyes on Kagome's wound and noticed that there was a small hole caving in her neck.

"Your wound is really getting much better. In a month's time, I suspect that it will be perfectly healed." She said. She placed the used-bindings to the side, to be gotten rid of once she was done, and began to get the ointment that she would use on the wound, ready.

"That's good," Kagome said. "But like I was saying, what do you mean you _used to_ get sad? Don't you still get sad now?" she asked. She kept her eyes fixated on the smoothed rock of the cave she was in.

"It is like I said, Miko-san, I was a part of a bad group of demons. Before, whenever I would leave for missions with my old master, I would become upset because I would leave my pack behind. But soon after I wanted my freedom, I wanted nothing more but to leave them. Now, I am perfectly happy with not seeing them again. They were all horrible and I am upset at myself for helping them in their tasks and following such a ruthless leader." She said.

Dipping a small cloth into the green-blue liquid, Yuksi began to dab it against Kagome's skin. Kagome clenched her teeth together as she felt the familiar burn of the healing ointment getting rid of all the germs and dried blood with a searing hot force.

She stayed quiet as the liquid was moved throughout the entire wound, and then felt relief once it began to cool down, signaling that her wound was now clean and healing.

Yuksi then placed the cloth down and began to grab the new set of gongs (they had gone through a lot in the past three days), as she began to redress Kagome's throat wound. The miko continued to keep her head tilted to make the task much easier to do.

"I get it," Kagome finally said.

"But do not worry Miko-san, I am very certain that you will be returned to your friends very soon, but if you would like…"—she paused to cut off the other end—"…I could have a scroll sent to them stating that you are safe."

This shocked the young miko.

"Really?" Kagome asked. "You could do that?" she hadn't known that they could do something like that. Had she known earlier, she would've had a scroll sent the second she woke-up.

"But of course," Yuksi said. She finished tying Kagome's wound and Kagome began to crane her neck a little as she adjusted to the new wrappings. "Although, I am afraid you will have to wait until Yayuki-sama wakes up, to have that done. She is the one who knows of a way to send scrolls to their recipient in a matter of seconds, no matter how far away they are." She said. She began to put the supplies away.

"I only know how to send them a few miles away. Five miles is actually my limit. My skills are limited. Forgive me. But I am very certain that Yayuki-sama will awaken soon. Her health is much better, now."

"Okay," Kagome said. "I can wait until she wakes up." but inside, she was bouncing at the fact to finally have some sort of communication with her friends. Now she could make them worry a little less than usual.

"Good," Yuksi said. She grabbed the bindings in her hand and they quickly burnt in some green and purple fire. "Now, in the mean time, I will teach you a few of the healing techniques I know. Would you like that?" she asked.

Kagome nodded her head.

"Let us head over to the back garden. It may still be drizzling, so if you would like, I can give you something to protect your hair."

"Oh no, that's not necessary," Kagome said.

"Very well then; come with me." Yuksi said. Following closely behind the demoness, Kagome began to follow Yuksi through various hallways and corridors as they headed to the back garden where there were several flowers.

At one point, they came to a place where stone steps were built from the cave itself. Kagome found it amazing how the steps were so neat and cut and shot up directly from the cave floor. The hallway was large enough to allow them to walk at their full height, but only allowed one person to be in front of the other.

They walked up a couple of steps, and very soon, Kagome could see light coming from somewhere up above. The light source grew brighter and brighter until her eyes finally widened as she got out of the stairwell.

There, before her, was an entire area that just held numerous flowers of all kinds. She was absolutely stunned by the fact that the very flowers she had asked Yayuki to get, were actually surrounding the exit of the stairwell. No wonder it didn't seem like she had any trouble finding them, at all.

"Wow…" she said. "It's… they're…"

"Beautiful; I know," Yuksi said. "We thought the very same thing when we first saw them. We were amazed by the fact that they all chose to naturally grow here. They were not moved at all." she said.

"That's amazing…" Kagome said.

"It truly is."

"Now then, shall we get started?" Yuksi asked the still-mesmerized human. It took a while for Kagome to register that Yuksi was talking to her, before she nodded her head. "Perfect. The first step to perfect healing is—"

"Getting to know which plants do what. Am I right?" Kagome asked. Yuksi smiled softly at the smart miko.

"Correct. If you do not know what the plant that you are using, does, then you will fail at your attempt to help and not harm." Yuksi said.

Yuksi paused as she grabbed a dark red flower. It's stem was black with thorns on it and the petals had a darker shade of red in certain areas that made it look like it was bleeding. Kagome was mesmerized by how beautiful the blood-red rose was.

"Wow…" she said.

"I know," Yuksi said. She ran her fingers through its numerous petals and when she removed one, it began to drip black liquid. "This flower can take life away as easily as it can give it. It has to be used as a last resort." She said softly.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

"Because if it does not work… the user will _die_."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

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* * *

><p>"So you don't have Kagome," Inuyasha said to Kouga. The wolf nodded his head. "This was all a huge waste of my time!" he shouted.<p>

Kouga winced at Inuyasha's voice. It was so loud and so irritating that all he wanted to do right now was smack Inuyasha and put a muzzle over him so he couldn't talk. I mean, Inuyasha's voice always annoyed him and struck a mark at his senses, but he always hid it because Kagome was around. Which she wasn't at the moment—sadly.

"Inuyasha," Sango said as she removed her hands from Kirara's ears. Jeez. Did he have to shout _that_ loud. "Calm down. How were we supposed to know that Kouga wouldn't have Kagome, either? It was good to check."

"Dammit Sango don't you understand? In the time that we spent trying to get here, we could've spent it better trying to track down Kagome." He said.

"Not necessarily," Miroku stated. "We would've had to stop because of that rain."

Miroku also gestured towards their wet clothing. They had to take it off and Kouga had given them other things to wear. Luckily, Kouga didn't always dress in fur, and every now and then, especially at night, had robes and stuff that they could use.

Miroku was given one of Kouga's dark blue robes that he only wore once—and that was just to try it out before throwing it away in his closet and never looking at it again. Miroku had no clue why. It was very comfortable and soft and silky—he wasn't even sure how a Wolf Demon like Kouga came across it.

Sango was given a pink, feminine robe. It hugged her curves and her bust, and with her hair down, not tied, she looked absolutely beautiful. Her wet hair stuck to her skin, and her makeup-less face looked marvelous and gave her that innocent type of look.

Already, several Wolf Demons that she had come across had looked her way. She could hear them snicker and then chat as she passed them.

But then she turned around, spoke, warned them, and they realized just who she was—the demon slayer friend of Kagome that Kouga had warned them of, earlier—and they backed off. They didn't feel like dying at the hands of such a powerful woman.

Little Shippou was given a simple, small shirt that was used on Wolf Demon cubs. It fit him perfectly and even had a little extra hole for his tail to poke out and not be restricted—although it was rare to see a Wolf Demon with a tail.

The only one who hadn't gotten something comfortable to change in was Inuyasha. And this, my friends was for two reasons and two reasons only.

Kouga _hated_ Inuyasha.

Inuyasha _hated_ Kouga.

Meaning that the yokai refused to give Inuyasha anything to change in, and the hanyou refused to accept anything from Kouga. So he was still wearing his dripping wet clothing, which was heavy and uncomfortable on his skin, but he refused to associate any more with that wolf than he already had to.

"Stupid rain," Inuyasha muttered. "It always comes at the dumbest of times."

"Don't worry Inuyasha," Sango said. "After it lets up a little more and our clothes dry, we'll go back to finding Kagome. In the mean time, Shippou, why don't you tell us what the demon looked like again?" Sango asked the small kitsune.

"Huh? Why?" Shippou asked.

"Because, maybe Kouga might know what type of demon she is," Sango momentarily looked up at Kouga to question him. "You know how to identify multiple types of demons, right?" she asked.

"Of course," Kouga replied. "I've met practically every type of demon there is. Go on little man, what did this demon that took Kagome look like?" he asked Shippou.

Shippou thought for a moment as he recollected every feature of the female demon that he had seen.

"Um…" he said. In the past hours, he had almost forgotten what she looked like, but then he started to slowly remember. "She… she had white hair. Really white hair, and it was in a bun. She also had… purple eyes… a tail… pointy ears… and… that's it, really." He said.

"Hm…" Kouga said as he frowned. "She sounds like a Wolf Demon… but not from my tribe… As I'm sure you noticed, none of us really have colors like that. We're more earthy, mainly brown and black."

"So she _is_ a Wolf Demon, but _not_ from this tribe," Miroku said. Kouga nodded his head. "In that case, I think we owe you an apology Kouga. We should've never thought that you were the one to take Kagome. We should've analyzed things further."

"Doesn't matter," Kouga said. "At least you know what she looked like. And since she's a Wolf Demon, she either belongs to one of the other main tribes, or is a rouge. I'm sure by the type of fur that she wore, you can—"

"Oh wait!" Shippou exclaimed. "She wasn't wearing fur."

"What?" Kouga asked.

"She wasn't wearing fur," Shippou stated. "She was wearing a kimono. A really short black and white kimono."

Kouga frowned.

"Hm… in that case, it might be harder to find this demon than you thought. Most demons are identifiable by their clothing. Either that, or the area they live in, as well as their scent."

"Do you remember what she smelled like?" Kouga asked Shippou.

Shippou thought back… to when the demon was directly over Kagome and he was being held by Kagome… how her scent had drifted into his nose and smelled really sweet… and yet somehow… constantly changing… like she had several scents wrapped up in one.

"I… I can't say…" Shippou said. "Her scent kept changing… it was different every time I took a whiff of her… I can't remember what it was, exactly…"

"_A demon with a changing scent…"_ Kouga thought. He inwardly smirked as he thought of this. _"Some demon. Must be a master of deception…"_

"I've never heard of such a thing," Sango said. "I mean, I get that demon's scents change a little as they get older, but—to _keep_ changing, every second… does a demon like that even _exist_?" she asked. She looked at the three other older males in the room only to hear nothing but silence.

"Really?" she asked. "Are all three of you actually _that_ clueless?"

"Sango," Miroku started. "There are several types of demons. Some we know of, others are still a mystery. You can't expect us to know of _all_ types of demons—to do that, we'd have to have been everywhere and everywhere, and kept some sort of record of them." the (sometimes) wise monk said.

Sango groaned.

She didn't like how they kept ending up with dead-ends. When it seemed like they were actually getting somewhere, solving their way through the maze little-by-little—_bam_! A wall. A wall with absolutely no way of getting through. And if they turned back, they'd lose all their progress and get lost…

She sighed.

"Kagome," she said out-loud. "Where are you? How could we let this happen?" she said softly. She hugged Kirara to her chest, her eyes saddening and prickling with tears.

She wanted to cry, but at the same time, she wanted to remain strong. Crying meant that she was giving up hope. When you cry, you give-up, you feel like there is no other possible way to make things better, to make things good again.

That's why she held back her tears. She wasn't about to give-up on Kagome—not now, not ever. After all, Kagome had never given up on her.

"This sucks," Inuyasha said. "How the hell are we supposed to find her now? That demon has an untraceable scent, and the only thing left behind was Kagome's blood—" Inuyasha saw how it seemed like Kouga was going to suggest something, but the hanyou quickly crushed the wolf's hope at coming up with a way at finding Kagome.

"—I already tried that," he said. "Kagome's scent is completely gone, besides her blood. Not a hint of where that demon had taken her, left."

Kouga groaned.

"The demon's good," he said. "Managing to hide her own and Kagome's scents… We're dealing with a very skilled demon. I _doubt_ _even Naraku_ can hide his scent completely."

"It wasn't that her scent was hidden," Shippou said. "It's that it was changing. I got confused."

"Understandable," Miroku said. "Several scents coming at you at once is bound to cause some type of haze to form on another demon's senses…"

"Well what do we do now?" Sango spoke-up. "How are we going to track down this demon? Isn't there anyway that we can find even the slightest hint of where she took Kagome?" she asked desperately.

All this talk about how powerful the demon who had taken Kagome, could be, was making her anxious. If this demon really was as powerful as they were sketching her out to be, then Kagome was in deadly trouble.

The miko was strong, yes, but she doubted that Kagome could handle such a demon.

"Well," Kouga said after a while. "I suppose there are a few ways… But they'll take a lot of time—something that we don't seem to have."

"Doesn't matter," Sango immediately said, not missing a beat. "What is it? Maybe we can figure out a way to speed up the process?" looking at the woman, Kouga could see that she was desperate to find the black-haired human… He'd be lying if he said that he couldn't connect to Sango's feelings, at the moment.

"You could search villages," he started. He saw how Inuyasha was about to speak. Probably going to say something like, _"I could've thought of that you _**mangy wolf**_!"_ But Kouga silenced him as he continued speaking. "You said this demon was a female, therefore, I suggest you search for her in villages where female demons aren't an uncommon thing. "

"Explain." Miroku said. The idea, while interesting, confused him a little. Wouldn't it be better to search villages where a female demon could _easily_ _hide_ and _not be so obvious_?

"You see, unlike male demons, female demons tend to stay together. So when they invade a village, they completely take over it without the villagers knowing. Of course, the villagers _know_ that there are demons around, but the female demons are always so careful about what they do, and how they hide, that the villagers start calling out their own, and never them."

"Search for a village that has this problem—being taken over from the inside-out, but never being able to figure out how. If you find one, most likely, the demon who took Kagome is either one of them, or nearby." he finished.

Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sango analyzed the suggestion in their mind. To look for a village that knew it had demons, but could never figure out _what_ or _who_ the demon exactly _was_…

They've come across a few cases like that, and they've solved them pretty quickly too—usually taking a day or two to do so.

It wasn't an impossible task. A little simple considering how much experience they had with situations like that… That's why they knew that it was a good plan. Only, there was one problem—

"That'll take forever," Inuyasha said. "You know how many villages that are infested, there are? Pfft. I'm not about to spend years solving problems for villagers that won't know shit." He said.

Kouga narrowed his blue eyes at the hanyou. He didn't like Inuyasha shooting down his brilliant plan. It was the only way to find Kagome. And as for Inuyasha's little _problem_, he already had a solution for that.

"Listen mutt, I _know_ that," Kouga said. Inuyasha gave Kouga a matching glare. "And I have the solution—search through the villages near where Kagome was captured. Female demons tend to stay close-by to their homes." He said.

That seemed to satisfy the hanyou. Inuyasha groaned before sitting back against the cave's wall, and crossing his arm, a glare still on his face.

It seemed like he was still angry, still annoyed, and while some of this was true, the hanyou was actually beginning to calculate ways of who to make Kouga's plan even better, so that they could find Kagome faster—not that it was good in the first place!

Pfft.

No!

His plan had too many blank areas. Inuyasha was simply going to fill them in and take credit for it all, once they found Kagome.

"_That ought to teach the dog his place."_

They both thought.

"Sounds like a good idea," Miroku said. "But who knows how many villages are around that area. We might need a little more to ensure our success."

"What about fighting abilities?" Kouga spoke-up, once again (beating Inuyasha who was about to supply an idea). "All demons fight different, and the same demons tend to have similar fighting styles."

"You said that she saw her use her weapons, right?" Kouga asked Shippou as he looked at the Fox Demon. Shippou nodded. "Tell us exactly how she used them. And then, I'll consul with a few people, and we might just have a legit plan for finding Kagome."

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><p>"So as you can see, the flower's petals can be used as paint, but it's leaves make a great tea that can help heal stomach wounds faster from the inside." Yuksi said. She gave Kagome a cup of the tea that she had showed her how to specifically make, for the type of flower that she had shown her.<p>

Kagome nodded her head, taking in everything Yuksi said, and as she sipped the tea, and recalled everything that she was told, an idea popped in her head as the cool liquid—although it had been boiled at an incredibly hot temperature—slid down her throat.

"Mm!" she said.

"What is wrong Miko-san? Is it too hot?"

"No, not at all," Kagome replied. "I was just thinking… Yuksi… does someone have to be awake for this to work?"

"Why would you ask such a thing?"

"Because, Hitomi, he has a bad wound that's taking the longest to heal. It's on his stomach and you said that this tea helps someone heal their stomach from the inside. Could I be able to give it to him and maybe speed up the process?"

She had no clue why, but she suddenly wanted Hitomi to heal as fast as he possibly could. It wasn't because she wanted to leave, but because she actually wanted Yayuki to feel better.

The demon was heartbroken, and she was pushing herself at the limit. In the day that she's actually been able to _be_ with Yayuki, Kagome has actually grown fond of the girl's strength, and kindness.

She didn't deserve to go through this type of pain. Everything's she currently done was just to help out a friend. A _best friend_.

"This tea can be given to someone whether they are alive, or dead. Just like every other power of the flowers in this garden, they defy both time and space. They are all usually used by mages and priestesses, as well as monks, to bring those back from death, or the brink of it."

"It slides down the throat immediately. One does not even need to swallow it. As long as it is in the person's mouth, the tea will make its way down to the person's stomach."

"Then I _can_ give it to Hitomi," Kagome whispered. She momentarily looked at the dark blue liquid in the tea cup. It was actually light blue, but since all of it was together in a small area, it looked darker than it actually was.

"Can you show me how to brew some more for later? After all, I was too busy studying the types of other flowers you showed me, to watch as you did it." she asked.

Yuksi nodded.

"It is a simple technique, really. The tea will be set in five minutes, but the boiling process will take up to ten at the highest heat. Come, let's begin."

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><p>.<p>

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><p>When Yuksi said that it was simple, the female wasn't even kidding. Kagome was amazed at how easy it was to prepare such an amazing tea.<p>

All she had to do was pick one of the petals—_only one_!—place them in a bowl, and then start to smash it and add water. Then, she would add in one of the leaves to give it that blue color, and three specific red berries that grew right next to the flowers—how convenient.

After that, she just mixed everything up, placed it in a pot, put the pot on top of a fire, and let the tea boil for ten minutes. She would know it was done when bubbles would sound from the pot; a sound that only the tea inside made.

"_I could make this next time on my own,"_ Kagome thought. _"Maybe when I get back to the others. If I found the flower and berries, I could make it for the others whenever they get hurt. Inuyasha will be so happy to be able to fight faster."_ She thought. But then she frowned as something else entered her mind.

"_What am I saying? He wouldn't care. He's a demon. A strong demon. He can heal quickly and all on his own. He'd probably see this as useless… _*sigh*_ At least Sango and Miroku might appreciate it."_ they were humans, after all.

"_Doesn't matter though. After all, at least I'm learning new ways to help them while I'm here."_

"Good job Miko-san," Yuksi said as she looked inside the pot with the brewed tea that Kagome had made, on her own, with some minor instructions from Yuksi—but Yuksi never physically helping. It looked perfect. In fact—she took a whiff of its aroma—it _was_ perfect. "You have a natural talent at learning." She stated.

Kagome blushed the pretty pink color of Yuksi's kimono, "Thank you," she said. "I'll pour some and then give it to Hitomi right away." She went over to the stone table, and grabbed the pot with the cloth Yuksi had used moments ago.

She then poured some into a fresh cup, and set the pot back on top of the table as she had the perfect amount of it, inside. Yuksi then handed her a much smaller cloth and small plate that Kagome would use to stabilize it.

"I shall do the same for Yayuki-sama." Yuksi said as she grabbed the pot.

"Why? Is Yayuki hurt?" Kagome asked.

Noticing the tint of worry in the Miko's voice, Yuksi shook her pretty white head. But she also couldn't help but feel a little happy inside. She was glad that Kagome seemed to like her master. She didn't like it whenever people misjudged her for how she acted—especially with her current attitude, now.

"In a way, yes," Yuksi responded. "She has dealt a lot of damage to her internal organs by pushing her body over the limit. This tea will help her heal and rest up much quicker." She stated. Doing the same as Kagome, she held the cup with a small cloth, with a plate under it to help stabilize the dainty tea cup.

"Oh, I see," Kagome said. "But… she is a demon. Wouldn't her body just heal up on its own?" Yuksi and Kagome both began to walk out of the garden.

Since the flowers there could be used as medication, there had been a stove and working area built there in order to save people time in preparing the medicines, by only having to walk over to the stove in the garden, and not the one in the kitchen.

"It is able to, but considering how long she had been awake, her body is too internally damaged to work quickly, now. She has to rest up to her full health, first."

"So, a demon can only heal itself if it has full health?"

"Exactly," Yuksi said. "Well, I best get this coffee to Yayuki-sama. Hopefully she will awake faster. I will see you soon, Miko-san." Yuksi offered Kagome a sweet smile before entering Yayuki's room.

Kagome stood outside the covered entrance and thought about what Yuksi said for a moment. So demons can only heal themselves if they're at full health…

"_Oh my god… we can use this against Naraku!"_

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><p>.<p>

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><p>"Alright you idiots, the rain's stopped, let's get moving." Inuyasha said. Fully dressed and ready to go, Inuyasha barked at the the others to hurry along so they can leave.<p>

He could no longer stand the stench of wolf all over the place. I mean, seriously, they all smelled disgustingly wet from the rain, and the decaying skin and blood from the animals these mongrels eat. Ugh! He hated it so goddamn much and was just glad that the rain was gone so they can leave already.

"Alright Inuyasha, settle down," Sango said as she finished tying her hair up in her ponytail, dressed in her demon-slayer clothes. "We're ready."

"About fucking time," Inuyasha said. Sango briefly narrowed her eyes at him before letting it go as Kirara jumped on her head. She wouldn't get on Inuyasha's case about that, at the moment.

She knew that out of all of them, he wanted to find Kagome the most because, deny it or not, he cared for Kagome. He cared for her deeply and she could see that in the way he did everything.

How when he yelled at her, he seemed to hold back to not anger her too much. How whenever they went into potentially dangerous territory, he would always be the slightest bit closer to her, ready to protect her in case anything bad happened. She saw all of this.

And she understood.

She, too, cared for Kagome to a great extent. And the fact that she was missing, that they weren't currently together, tracking down jewel shards, getting new ways to take down Naraku, upset her greatly, and made her heart clench painfully.

It made her think of all the times that Kagome and her spent together, on their journey.

How every now and then they could have some innocent girl chat. Talking about everything from getting rid of the smell of demon blood, and maybe going to a hot spring that was nearby or something.

She missed those times.

"_Don't worry Kagome, wherever you are, I'll find you and then we can bring back all of those times."_ she thought. Making sure that her armor and weapons were secured, Sango was one of the first out of the cave with Inuyasha.

"_Finally,"_ Inuyasha thought. _"One down, two to go."_

"Shippou! Miroku! Get out here _now_!"

"Hey _mutt_! You want to stop all that damn yelling!" Kouga shouted at Inuyasha. Coming from within the depths of the cave, the Wolf Demon appeared before Inuyasha, fuming.

After all, it was the middle of the night and Inuyasha's constant barking to get all of his team members to leave faster was annoying the hell out of him.

Inuyasha glared.

"And why the hell should I?" Inuyasha screamed even louder. In the distance, both of them heard howling wolves, complaining about their loss of sleep. Kouga growled.

"That's why you idiot!" he angrily whispered. "It's the fucking middle of the night. My pack needs to get some damn sleep before sunrise, dammit."

"Like I give a damn about you or your stupid pack." Inuyasha hissed.

Kouga was so close to punching out Inuyasha. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that if he did, then there would be more shouting and yelling and the next thing he knew, his entire tribe would be full of nothing but pissed-off Wolf Demons ready to take him down from power. He really didn't feel like dealing with that, ever.

He's had enough of that, okay.

So instead, he did the next best thing.

"You two idiots get out here and go with this mutt!" he shouted. He might as well get Inuyasha and company to leave his caves faster so that the rest of them can then get some sleep.

Moments later, as Kouga stood at the mouth of his main cave entrance, both Shippou and Miroku finally showed up.

"What took you so long?" Inuyasha asked in his usual pose of his clothing inside his red, rat's hair hakama.

"We were just sprucing up the room," Miroku said. Inuyasha looked suspiciously at him. "After all, it is dishonorable to leave a humble abode in such… inappropriate ways."

"Which one of my tribe women were you hitting on, monk?" Kouga asked as he crossed his arms.

Miroku flinched.

"Why Kouga, what would ever make you ask such a thing?" Miroku asked.

"The smell of burnt flesh. My women tend to have hard slaps." Kouga smirked as Miroku, who finally turned his face to look at him, grinned while sweat-dropping. The red outline of a clawed hand was beginning to show on the other side of his face.

"They do indeed," Miroku said.

He really couldn't help himself. The tribe woman was just so beautiful with dirty blonde hair and sparkling brown eyes. The smell of earth on her was surprisingly intoxicating and Miroku had lost self control as he saw the very curvaceous woman in the short nightgown that she was wearing.

Strange how, in the day, the women in Kouga's tribe wore long skirts, while at night, they wore clothing that barely reached their thighs. He secretly loved it.

"Come now Shippou," Miroku said as he began to push the little kitsune forward with his foot. "We mustn't keep Inuyasha and Sango waiting."

Shippou and Miroku then left the area, leaving both Inuyasha and Kouga alone. Just as Inuyasha was about to leave, Kouga called out to the hanyou, and said something that Inuyasha wasn't prepared for.

"_What_?" Inuyasha asked as he turned back around. Had he actually heard him right?

"I'm coming with you." Kouga said.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"And what makes you think I'll let you?"

"I'm not asking for your permission, mutt. I'm stating a fact."

"Fact my ass!"

"You call that flat thing an ass?"

Inuyasha felt his anger begin to boil over the top at Kouga's comment. That wolf was such a jackass!

He scoffed.

"You can say all you want you damn wolf, but I'm not letting you come along and ruin this."

"Why? Are you worried that once I save Kagome, she'll finally realize who the better of the two is?" With a cocky grin and a head turned to the side, Kouga delivered the comment.

Inuyasha growled. His hand clenching and unclenching inside his sleeves as the urge to just take his tessaiga, and cut off his wolf's anatomy, took over him.

"_No_," Inuyasha growled. "I just can't stand to be around you, that's why. Besides, you'll just hold us back even more." He stated.

Kouga frowned.

"You forget, _mutt_, that I'm the only one here who could probably find those villages. I've been around all these lands at least once and can remember what's where. If you even _want_ a chance at finally finding Kagome, you'd take me with you."

Inuyasha and Kouga then entered a glaring match.

Inuyasha didn't like the thought of having Kouga coming along. The Wolf Demon was arrogant, annoying, and a stupid dog. If Inuyasha took him along, then there was no doubt that they'd go about a yard a day due to the fact that they both would have to constantly stop to yell and fight.

At that rate, they'd probably find Kagome in… what… a _year_?

_Like he was about to waste that much time_!

So no, having Kouga come along was definitely a bad idea. Plus, if they did, by some miracle, manage to find Kagome, then Kouga would be all over her and—

Wait.

Why does he care about that?

Kouga could… no… He'd hurt Kagome. After all, he had captured her once, was going to hurt her, and Inuyasha had no clue what made the wolf's attitude change, but he was pretty sure that if he got the chance, Kouga would take Kagome and they just might never see her again.

He's wasn't about to go through this a _third time_.

"Stay with your pack you wolf," Inuyasha said. "Because there's no way in hell that I'm letting you—"

"Inuyasha what's taking so long?" Sango, who had finally had enough of waiting for Inuyasha, especially since he had been the one to rush them earlier, entered the cave once again and went over to the two.

"Nothing," Inuyasha said. "This wolf's just being stupid; as always."

"Not even close," Kouga said. "I just want to join your group. To help you find Kagome. After all, I know these lands better than anyone." He said as he turned towards the demon slayer.

"Hm…" Sango said as she began to think about it. There was no hiding the fact that Kouga would probably be a good addition.

After all, he had probably been everywhere, considering how he was a Wolf Demon and every once in a while they would travel to other lands to speak with other tribes. She knew that, besides Kouga's, there were four other main Wolf Demon tribes. One for the South, North, West, and at the very heart of the lands.

Plus, he had been the one to think of the way to track down the female demon who had taken Kagome. Going to places where female demons aren't uncommon, tracking her down by her description and abilities, she had to admit, it was brilliant.

Plus, he had a great sense of smell. Inuyasha's was good, but he was also a half-demon and his senses were only so elite. But Kouga was a full-blooded demon and he could probably track scents like Kirara—miles and miles away. Which, without a doubt, could come in handy.

But the only bad thing about letting Kouga join was Inuyasha.

She could already see all of the fights going on between the two as they continued to travel. But… they wouldn't get entirely out of hand, right? After all, they both wanted nothing more than anything to find Kagome.

Surely they would put their differences aside once they realized their main objective… right?

"I… think it's a good idea, Inuyasha," Sango finally said.

"WHAT?"

"Listen," she stated. "With Kouga helping us, we might find her even faster. After all, he's right. He knows more than us when it comes to these areas. I mean, we hadn't even thought about searching for Kagome where she went missing. We immediately began to search for people who we _thought_ would have her."

"And you said it yourself, we wasted a lot of time doing so." she said sternly.

Inuyasha was fuming. His anger blasted to its fullest as he saw the smirk that crossed Kouga's face at Sango's words. It was almost like Kouga _knew_ what was coming next.

If Sango agreed with the idea, then no doubt Miroku and Shippou would as well. And then he'd have to let Kouga in because then they'd do something like go on a mutiny or whatever.

So, long story short—

"Let's move." Kouga said.

He began to walk to the entrance of the cave, Sango following, as they met up with Miroku and Shippou, and told them the news. He heard how both of the males agreed, and how all four of them began to move, practically leaving him behind.

Inuyasha mentally killed off Kouga.

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><p>And there you have it! Kouga joins the group! Oh, this is going to be so awesome! Anyways, in the next two chapters, Kagome will become a demon. But I won't say which chapter though. It could be the next one, or the one after that—but she will become a demon before chapter six, when she finally reunites with the others and they continue on their journey to get Naraku. I've already thought up of the perfect demon form for her, as well as her scent, skills, weapons, training—because she needs to learn to control it—and so on. It's just seriously gonna be amazing after chapter six. Anyways, I hope you liked and please review!<p>

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	4. What's Your Greatest Wish?

Yay! Chapter four! And do you know what that means?... That's right! Two more chapters (counting this one) until Kagome reunites with the others as part demon! And I know that a lot of you probably have questions about Kagome's demon form, but they will all be answered in the next chapter. I promise you, it will all make perfect sense. Also, a warning for this chapter. There will be some mature content in it. It'll mostly be violence and cursing, but if you don't like it, skip over all of the parts that are italicized. I'm including the complete story of what happened on the night that caused Hitomi to become comatose, which eventually led to Yayuki retrieving Kagome. I hope it isn't too much, or too confusing. I just want to add that part in because it's a very important part of the plot — I mean, hello! It _leads_ to Kagome becoming a demon in the _first place_! I really hope you like it, though. The first arc of the story is about to end, and I can't end it without including this. That's it. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha_ characters. I only own my own, as well as the plot.

Reviews (So many! Thank you!)

Princess happy- I'm happy about your satisfaction of my story, princess. And sorry that I couldn't update so soon — hopefully I'll make up for it with this chapter.

Roman Rocks- I'm so glad that you're enjoying it. I assure you that your waiting will not be for nothing. Here's the update!

kithime- Good to know. Sorry for not being able to update as quickly as you wanted me to. I pride myself on long chapters with a lot of detail. Thank you!

s-i-n-t-a-hMB- thank you! ^^

BlackFoxGun- here's the chapter!

KiriKatana- I know what you mean. I wanted to make sure that Kagome is shown as being a little stronger than she may appear to be; I didn't want her to come off as completely weak, but I also wanted to make it seem natural. I'm glad I apparently did just that! Well… Kagome becomes a demon in the next chapter, I can't answer when Hitomi will wake-up, and the scene where she reveals her demon self to Inuyasha and Kouga is definitely going to be one of my favorite to write. :) Sorry I couldn't update soon, but here you go! And don't worry, I will do my best!

L- yeah; it is. I was so nervous when I posted it because I thought it wouldn't be very good. I haven't watched Inuyasha in a while, and I was afraid that I didn't capture the characters the way they would actually behave in the show. Is it really that hard to tell? *blushes* Here's the update! ^^

darkphoenix94- don't worry; she changes next chapter! Your wait is almost over.

sdoyle- more.

PrincessPica- I'm glad you love it. Yes; update — here it is!

Ollie- here's more. Ayame hasn't said a thing because when she arrived at Kouga's cave, he completely ignored her to deal with Inuyasha. And Kouga left the cave at the middle-of-the-night when she was fast asleep. She's not dead — she was just ignored.

Darklove101- here's the new chapter. As for the Kouga and Kagome fluff, I guarantee you, within the next three chapters, they'll start bonding. How? There's a little hint in this chapter — see if you can figure it out. *wink*

DarkFlameInfernal- thanks! ^^

OSR fanatic- forgive me for not being able to update as soon as wordly (is that a real word? ;]) possible, but I'm glad that you have so much love for my story. As for your question, it'll be answered in the next chapter. Stay tuned!

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed — especially to those of you who reviewed over a month later, trying to get me to update faster. You're all so great!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The Demonic Flower<strong>

_**Chapter 4—What's Your Greatest Wish?...**_

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><p>One Week Later<p>

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><p><em>Blood bath.<em>

_Those were the only two words that described what was going on around her. Blood bath. The ground was bathed in the crimson liquid, and it absolutely dominated the air. Even her scent — which could be smelt more than any other scent — was blocked by the grotesque smell of rotting bodies and blood._

_She groaned as she slashed through one of the demons coming at her. Her silver sword pierced through its chest fully before she simply moved her sword to the side using an immense amount of force; cutting the demon's bones and organs as she cut the demon's side from the inside-out._

_The demon instantly dropped to the ground as soon as her sword left its body. It began to convulse on the ground. From the corner of her eye, she could see the poison that naturally covered her sword whenever it sensed that she was fighting, was beginning to eat away at its flesh. _

_The demon made horrible gurgling noises. Its eyes wide. Its fingers were bent at an odd angle, some of its intestines were leaking from the large cut, and blood was pouring out in the bucket-full._

_But she had no time to relish in her kill._

_As soon as that demon was down, another one came at her. This one was female and she delivered a swift round-house kick to it while she had her arms out wide, and spun her swords with her body._

_The female demon got the kick straight to the head. A crackling sound was heard before she fell. Three other demons — she wasn't sure if they were male or female — got hit with her swords. They also dropped and began to scream in agony as their skin cells began to deteriorate in the most painful of ways._

_Soon, the female demon who she had recently kicked to the ground, was up in a second. She let out a groan of frustration as the demon — with one side of her face bashed in — lunged at her once again._

_She quickly placed her swords at her sides as she grabbed the demon with her claws. She then used the momentum she created to knock down another couple demons before finally releasing the female and letting her fly to god knows where._

_But judging by the sound, she could tell that the demon wouldn't survive._

_She barely had time to take in a breath before she was tackled down to the ground. She refused to scream as the demon on top of her began to pull her head back, and stab her multiple times._

_She grit her teeth instead. She wasn't a screamer._

"_Scream for me bitch! Scream for me!" The male demon said. She hissed as he continued to stab her. She felt her fury build as he continued to abuse her._

"_Come on you wench! Scream dammit! Scream!" He punctured her organ, and when he didn't get what he wanted, he began to bash her head against the ground. Her face was submerged in dirt wet from blood. The disgusting scent invaded her nose — literally._

_She heard him laugh._

"**Bastard's gonna get it now."**

_She will not stand for this. She will not be mocked. She will not be dominated by some low-life male demon who thinks that he's actually causing her pain._

_Please._

_He has no clue what she has to deal with. This. This constant stabbing and hair pulling and vulgar language was nothing to her. Never mind the punctured organ. She'd heal it in a second as soon as she got this demon off of her._

_Her head popped out from the ground._

"_GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" She yelled._

_Some of her remaining energy built-up around her midsection. She then released it in one full blast and shot the demon back. She heard him yell, but didn't care as she got up in a flash and re-grabbed her swords._

_She built up speed and kept looking up as she watched his body continue to fly. As she headed towards him, she got rid of the demons around her with graceful movements. Sometimes she only had to duck and let the demons' weapons hit their own kind. They were so dumb._

_Just as she finished slicing the head off of one demon, as the body fell, she climbed on its shoulders and used it as a launching pad._

_She flew through the air with both of her swords above her head; piercing through the air easily enough. She heard another cry as her swords skewered through the male demon's body. Some blood splattered on her._

_Soon, they reached their highest point and began to fall. She positioned herself above him, so that she was looking down at the demon's face._

_Terror._

_She ignored it as they continued to pick up in their velocity. Just as they reached the ground, she moved her swords quickly to the side. She slashed his body in half and the different pieces went flying off in opposite directions. Her legs were now covered in the red substance._

_She was breathing deeply as she surveyed the area around her. Dead bodies. Here. There. Anywhere. Everywhere. Nothing but the bodies of a slain demon clan._

_Above her, the full moon shone over the area. Illuminating it in a lovely glow; despite it being a repulsive scene._

_Her swords were at her side. Barely touching the ground. She was panting heavily. Sweat was covering her body. Her usual attire was ripped heavily, and barely any fabric clung to her body. The only thing that wasn't ruined was her hair._

_Her white hair that matched the moon perfectly._

_She took in a deep breath. Then released it. With her head towards the sky, she felt the rays of the moon against her skin, and used it as energy to begin healing a few of her large wounds — some of which included her punctured organ and stab wounds._

_She continued her heavy breathing. Each time she took in more and more power from the moon. She was always at her strongest when the full moon was present. _

_It was one of the reasons why she chose to wipe out this clan, on that night._

_They were a relatively big clan. Probably a hundred or so demons were a part of it. They were something that she liked to call a Rouge Clan. A clan that was made-up of all types of demons that chose to abandon their own._

_(Ironic how they left their clans just to become part of another)._

_The demons were strong. This she had assessed a few months back when she had a run-in with a few of them terrorizing one of the villages she looked over. _

_Needless to say that she had been surprised when she saw that their fighting techniques were close to her level. But she managed to defeat them anyway. After doing so, she had looked over the damage._

_The villagers began to ask for her help — began to ask her to kill-off the demons. She agreed. After all, those people were her duty to protect. Plus, those demons had invaded her lands and caused some great amounts of havoc. They deserved to get to taste her blade against their necks._

_She spent weeks surveying the demons in secrecy. Looking into their habits. Their calendars — when they did what they did. How they interacted with one another. She mapped out their homes, and picked off the weakest ones first._

_When the full moon finally came two months later — or in other words, tonight — she finally invaded the village and began to slaughter all of them. It was difficult. Just as she assumed._

_But she had made perfect timing._

_With her body now healed as much as she wanted it to be (she only healed the large wounds), she moved her head down, her eyes closed, and placed her swords together._

_Her eyes flashed opened as they connected, and she exhaled one last time to calm her senses._

"**Finally,"**_ she thought. _**"It's over… it's all over…"**_ She could already imagine the faces of the happy villagers as she told them that their latest threat had been neutralized, and that the area they once inhabited would be turned into something beneficial for the area. Maybe another large plantation? After all, this land was close to a river…_

_Whatever._

_She'd cross that bridge once she got there. Right now, all she had to do was return to her home, get a nice hot bath, and then fall asleep in her bed…_

_As she started to walk, she counted over the bodies. Thirty-three behind. Forty-two to the left. Eighteen to the right. One-half both left and right. Ninety-four bodies in total._

_She immediately froze._

_Hold on… she counted one-hundred and eight bodies when she did a head-count of the people taking residence in the rogue village._

_The thought crossed her mind just as she felt a sinister and dark presence behind her. She clenched her teeth as the repugnant smell of what she only presumed to be the head demon-in-charge, and his lackeys, hit her._

_This wasn't over. Yet._

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><p>"Fuck!" Inuyasha shouted.<p>

He jammed his sword into the skull of the female demon they just extinguished. The bones easily broke under the massive weight of his tessaiga, and scattered around thanks to the slight wind blowing.

"That's the tenth fucking demon we've fought, and she didn't have Kagome either!" He growled as he recalled the multiple times that they did the villages' dirty work for them, and got rid of the female demons that inhabited them; thinking that one of them would have Kagome.

Or at least know where there could be a demon that resembles the description Shippou gave — if not in the slightest bit.

They came up empty-handed, though.

The female demons they fought were all too easy to defeat. From the way Shippou had told them that the demon who captured Kagome was actually able to deflect her arrows, they were dealing with one powerful demon.

They'd know that they finally found the right demon if she put up one hell of a fight before finally getting taken down by Inuyasha.

So far, that's yet to happen.

And it was getting on all of their nerves.

Even Miroku, who was usually one of the calmest ones in the group, was beginning to get agitated. It was mid-afternoon, the sun was blazing hot, and they've spent the last week tracking down villages close to where Kagome was taken, and defeating any of the demons they came across.

Luckily, all of them were female demons. It was quite simple to spot them too. They gave off a demon scent that alerted Inuyasha, Kouga, and Shippou of their presence.

Unluckily, none of them were the demon they wanted. And they knew this because after killing them, they ransacked their residence in search of Kagome, or clues that could tell them that she was there, or where she was headed, but all they usually found was herbs, bones, and some weapons.

Nothing useful.

Sango groaned as she heard Inuyasha say this. Ten demons. They've fought ten demons in a single week, and their failures have been getting to them.

All she wanted was to find Kagome. To find the black-haired human that held an extraordinary amount of power. But nothing. It was like the gods themselves were keeping them from getting any closer,

"Dammit!" Kouga yelled. "Not another useless lead!" He clenched his fists as he looked at the dead remains of what used to be a Spider Demon (they've killed three of them already — including this one).

Her legs were all detached from her body, and what used to be her naked torso was nothing but slithers of now-rotting meat. She had been far too easy to defeat.

"Ugh! There's got to be one damn demon who's at least a _challenge_ to beat! This is becoming a waste of my time!" The Wolf Demon proclaimed.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at Kouga's statement.

"You have no right to complain you flea bag!" He shouted. "This was your fucking idea in the first place, and now you have to suffer through it like the rest of us!"

Kouga's eyes narrowed.

"Shut it you damn mutt!" Kouga shouted. "This plan would be working if you'd just let me handle it the way I intended, instead of going off and killing every damn thing that's not a fucking human! This is your fault you idiot!"

Immediately Inuyasha transformed his tessaiga into one of its forms.

"_Kenatsu_!" Kouga flinched as he felt his skin cells beginning to break. He could feels deep wounds on his arms, legs, and stomach. He couldn't help it as he grit his teeth, and fell down to one knee. Clutching his stomach.

Inuyasha smirked as he watched more wounds — getting deeper and deeper — continue to cover Kouga's body. He loved how the mangy wolf was already down. How weak.

"Inuyasha quit it!" Sango yelled. When she saw that Inuyasha wasn't listening to her at all, she narrowed her eyes before clutching her weapon tightly, and throwing it at the stupid half-demon. "_Hiraikotsu_!"

Inuyasha, not missing the sound of wind being pierced, or Sango's voice, was forced to stop his actions as he jumped out of the way of Sango's boomerang. He growled at the brown-haired female as she easily caught her weapon and set it on her back.

"What the hell Sango?" He shouted.

The female ignored him as she simply muttered something about demons under her breath, before beginning to head over to Kouga. She crouched down to the heavily-injured male demon as she began to inspect a few of his wounds.

"These will need some time to heal." She said as she looked over a remarkably long one surrounding the full circumference of his arm.

Kouga sucked in a breath of air. He was sweating a little, and some of his blood was beginning to cover the ground. One of his eyes was closed shut from the pain, and he was struggling to keep the other one open. That bastard really did a number on him.

"No need…" He finally managed to say. "I'll be fine. That mutt can't do anything right. These won't get in the way of me finding Kagome." He said.

Sango looked at him unconvinced.

"You sure?" She asked. "We could stop at the next village and you can heal there while we search for any possible or known female demons."

"I'm certain." Kouga said. "I'm not letting this get in the way of me finding Kagome. Only an idiot lets an injury stop him."

Sango nodded her head at his statement. She then soon began to help Kouga up to his feet, and was very careful about the places that she touched. Scars littered his body. Streaks of blood were rolling down his tanned and toned skin.

"You should clean-up," she said as she finally got him to his feet. "We leave in another couple minutes. I think that's enough time to at least clean the blood; right?"

Kouga nodded.

"I'll be back before the monk." As he walked away from the two, Inuyasha couldn't help but glare at Sango as she stared at Kouga's retreating back before she felt Inuyasha's gaze on her, and turned towards him.

"_What_?" She asked harshly. Her voice was stern and agitated. Her usual demeanor had died down after the fourth day. She could no longer afford to try and take things lightly. Kagome was missing for over a week, and they were still stuck in a dead-end. Who knows the torture the miko could be going through...

"Why the hell are you so nice to him Sango?" Inuyasha asked.

The demon slayer responded with a confused, "What?" Was Inuyasha seriously asking her this? Now of all times? When she was less patient than normal and was ready to snap at the closest thing to her — which just so happened to be Inuyasha, himself.

"You're being stupid. That scrawny wolf only wants one thing and one thing only. You shouldn't act like we want him here. The sooner he's out, the better."

Sango narrowed her eyes at him. Inuyasha was certain that they would've flashed red if she were a demon.

"You just don't like him here. Stop being selfish and think of everyone else for a change." She growled out. Inuyasha began to glare at her, but she scoffed.

"You're the real idiot here, Inuyasha." She said. "You're sacrificing our only chance to find Kagome, just because you don't like having Kouga around. _Get over it_!" Her outburst surprised him, but he wouldn't ever admit that. "Kouga's our only hope! If you don't like it, then you can leave!"

With that, Sango stomped off. She walked over the remains of the female demon without a care, as she headed back towards the village. She might as well inform Miroku and Shippou that they were back to square one.

Inuyasha watched as she stormed off. Her words echoed in his ears.

"_Kouga's our only hope! If you don't like it, then you can leave!"_

His eyes narrowed.

"Fine." He mumbled. He didn't like relying on Kouga. If they had done this thing the way he intended, they probably could've already been somewhere. They would've already had about three good leads and getting closer and closer to Kagome.

But no.

They had all wanted to do this Kouga's way because it was apparently the more logical. _Screw logic_! That's why as he turned around to look at the thick foliage around him, he didn't feel a wave of hesitance.

He was going to find Kagome.

_His way_.

* * *

><p>.<p>

* * *

><p>"Miko-san, is something the matter?"<p>

They were back in the garden. Kagome had done her usual round of bathing, eating, and then healing. Yuksi had also done her usual rounds (whatever those may be), and the two were continuing Kagome's healing lessons.

Currently, Yuksi was teaching Kagome a way to create a serum that allowed one's muscles to regenerate after over-use. When a person ran too much without taking much oxygen, or worked their muscles too hard for it to be healthy (something the members of her new clan usually did).

Yuksi had suggested starting their day off with that one first after she asked Kagome about some of the injuries her friends would usually get. The miko agreed that this would also be the best for the day.

"Oh, nothing," Kagome said as she continued to cut the leaves of the flower in a specific way. The leaves held a type of veins that held poison, that she had to remove with extra care. If she didn't cut around them correctly, then the leaf would be consumed with poison and it would be useless. She's learned this six times.

"I can sense that something is heavy on your mind, Miko-san," Yuksi continued as she prepared a few leaves, herself. Of course, she was having a much easier time than Kagome. "Go on. Say what you feel."

"It's just…" Kagome paused as she stopped her cutting to think. The topic that had been consuming her mind as she learned more and more from the demon.

She and Yuksi discussed several topics in the last few days. Everything from her healing abilities, to her skill with the bow and arrow. And at some point in-between, they began to discuss about the different types of demons that Kagome has fought (leaving out a few unnecessary details, though).

Yuksi had told her a few extra things about those demons. About how lucky she was that those demons hadn't fought to their full-potential — something that Yuksi explained in full detail.

Kagome had been amazed.

She hadn't known that those demons were actually able to fight stronger than she experienced. The power that she learned they actually held was amazing. Surely if they had fought like that when she encountered them, she would've been a goner — even _with_ her bow and arrow.

And this fact alone reminded her of something that she had first thought when she witnessed Inuyasha's power for the first time. How he had slaughtered those groups of demons the first few months of their journey.

What was it like to be a demon?

To hold so much power and do with it as you please? To not have to worry about dying the next day because you had full-confidence in yourself and your abilities?

She was always confident, but never to the point where she thought that she wouldn't die. There was always a small sense of hesitance when they were going to new areas that gave off a particularly strong demonic aura. Sometimes she showed it, other times she didn't.

She wanted to know.

What was it like to not have a worry about the world? To be so… free and strong?

"It's silly, really," Kagome said. "Just something stupid that I thought about once."

"It cannot be as silly as you proclaim it to be, if it is now plaguing your mind. It has some importance to you." The white-haired demon (who had also started to fuel her curiosity) said.

Kagome wasn't sure whether she should tell Yuksi or not. What would she think? Would she think that she is being stupid? Another dumb human sticking their nose into something that was absolutely impossible for them?

No.

She doubted that — sorta.

From the time that they've spent together, she's come to the conclusion that Yuksi was quite a nice and trustworthy demon. She didn't seem like the type of person that would call any of her unusual musings stupid and dumb.

She could trust Yuksi. And while she would prefer telling this to Sango, Yuksi was kinda like the demon-version of Sango.

"It's… just…" She sighed before she finally decided to tell Yuksi what had been on her mind. Yuksi was a demon after all. Maybe she would shed some light on her curiosity? "I've been wondering for a while now… what's it like to be a demon?"

She turned to look at Yuksi to watch her expression. She wore a soft smile on her face as she continued to prepare the rest of the leaves (the process took a while, and they needed a total of five leaves). "Ah, so that is what has been on your mind." Yuksi finally said.

"Yeah," Kagome responded. "I don't know why, but I've been wondering about that a lot." She said.

"That is alright," Yuksi said. "Honest curiosity. If you would like, I could tell you a little bit about it." Yuksi offered. Kagome nodded her head a little eagerly at Yuksi's offer.

"Very well," Yuksi sighed before starting. "Being a demon is… free. There is always this sense of freedom that you have, that reminds you that you are not like a human. You are not bound to duties or tasks that you do not wish to do. You do as you please, when you wish to do it. You are bound to no one unless that is your desire." She said.

"Do you really have so many choices?" Kagome asked. "I mean, I know about demons that are controlled against their will." She said.

"That is due to a demon wanting minions to gain more power. Power and strength — along with freedom — are always something we crave. Several of us work our hardest to get this; whether it is by manipulation, or constant training."

"Of course, the full intensity of being a demon cannot just be described with detail. The only way to _know_ how it is to be a demon, is to _be_ a demon."

Kagome sighed before frowning slightly. "Then I guess I'll never really know, huh?" She said softly. "I mean, what you said sounds amazing. The parts about freedom and power and strength. I've witnessed all three of these urges. It kinda sounds amazing to be a demon… I wish I knew what it were like."

"Why would you?" Yuksi asked; catching Kagome off-guard. "You are quite a powerful miko. Look at all that you have done." She said with a bright smile on her face.

Kagome lightly blushed. "Thank you," she said. "But… I still wish I knew what it were like."

"Well you know, Miko-san, being a demon — while involving several powers — also involves a lot of sacrifice. Many demons suffer for what they have done, or what they must do — even what they _already_ do. We may not always show it, but we demons are never fully trusting around others."

"But what about you?" Kagome asked. "You seem to be trusting of other people."

"I am different," Yuksi responded. "I have been under the watchful eye of Yayuki-sama for so long, and have been taught so much, that I have become quite a good judge of character and am able to determine just how much trust I can expect from some_one_ or some_thing_."

Kagome weighed on Yuksi's words. She knew this. She's seen first-hand how some demons suffer greatly for the choices that they have made, or for their past.

"_Inuyasha…"_ She thought. The main reason she wished she knew what it was like to be a demon. She kinda wanted to be able to connect with Inuyasha on that level. She wanted to be able to feel what he felt, so that they could have a better relationship.

She's seen him suffer so much. Because of Sesshomaru. Because of his mom. Because of Naraku. Because of Kikyou… She wants — badly — to be able to connect with him on a personal level, and maybe even be able to help him.

To take away that pain.

"I know that demons suffer," she finally said. "But I still wish I knew what it would feel like to be one."

"The only way to do that is to become a demon yourself," Yuksi stated. "And tell me Miko-san, if you ever had the opportunity, would you become a demon?" She asked.

Kagome thought about it.

If there was ever a chance — no matter how small or microscopic it was — would she become a demon? Even with all the pain and suffering that she was bound to go through for being a demon; would she still become one just so she could be on a more personal-level with Inuyasha?

Was Inuyasha actually worth it?

She wanted to say _no_. That was her body's automatic function when it came to thinking about Inuyasha in _that way_. But her logical side said that this question involved more than just personal feelings — it involved logic.

If she became a demon, she would be stronger. She'd have more power than she could ever imagine, and she'd always feel happy and free.

If she became a demon, she would cry. She would cry over the horrible things that would happen to her. Over the villages and villagers that wanted nothing to do with her, but wanted her dead. Over the pain that she would surely go through as she fought with another demon, and gain scars.

If she became a demon, she would still have the relationships that she has formed. Sango would only congratulate her, and Miroku as well. She would feel more like Shippou's mom because now they were the same. Inuyasha would be surprised, and say that she was still a weak human (maybe even yell at her as to _how_ she became a demon in the first place), only to have her remind him that she is no longer human, but most likely a half-demon or full-demon. She would be so much like him.

If she became a demon, she would still be able to see her family back home. No matter what, she was still Kikyou's reincarnation and would be able to pass through the Bone Eater's Well as she pleased — the power of the _Shikon no Tama_ would still be with her; still in her.

She saw… no risk. Except for some pain — pain that she would most likely be able to handle if she were a demon.

So her answer: yes.

Yes.

If she ever had the opportunity to become a demon, she would. It would even benefit the group if they had an extra demon with them. They would solve situations much faster with her new abilities.

"Yes," Kagome finally said. "If I ever had the opportunity to become a demon, I would. I would become a demon in a heartbeat."

Kagome only saw Yuksi smile, before the demoness went back to cutting the thick leaves, carefully.

"Very well."

Kagome didn't understand what Yuksi meant. What did she mean? But knowing that she had work to do, and that this wasn't the first time that Yuksi became coded, Kagome simply went back to her work and finished off her second leaf (she and Yuksi were making separate batches).

She saw nothing of it.

* * *

><p><em>She turned to look back at the group of demons that had finally decided to show themselves. She showed them no emotion. No fear. No hatred. No annoyance. Her face was bare, and she just sized them up.<em>

_These demons were the strongest of the clan. The leader, a large reptilian demon with arms and legs the size of small tree trunks, was in the middle-back, and surrounded by other demons of different species. They were like his shields. She wanted to scoff at the display._

_Weak._

_Only weak demons needed protection. However small it may be. It was also only low-life demons that used others as their protection. She hated this demon so much. But her face was bare._

"_Well," the leader said. His bright yellow eyes scanned over the female demon before him. "Aren't you a naughty little thing?" He asked._

_She stayed the same._

"_Slaying my clan like that… and still managing to come out… beautiful…" He let out a hiss deep in his throat. His forked-tongue shot out. She immediately knew what type of demon he was, and how she would handle him._

"_I must have you."_

_At that, his shields charged at her. She gripped her swords tightly as they got closer and closer. Her quick-calculating eyes took in every demon. She noticed their weapons, what angles they were coming at her from (they had spread out), and even managed to calculate most likely where they were going to hit her._

"**Easy."**

_The first blow came to her right. A yellow demon tried to get her side, but she struck it before it could get her. She pushed it back into another demon with enough force to pierce through its body as well. Both fell._

_The second blow came from behind her. She swung her leg around so fast that it literally only took a split second to take the demon down, and start sword fighting with five of them._

_She was so glad that she was skilled with swords._

_Her mother had originally wanted her to be more skilled with things such as a fan with the edges holding spikes. But the fabric of a fan did not allow quick movements, so she chose a sword instead. Two, to be exact._

_Now she was a master at it. After over seven years of working her ass off to just learn how to not cut herself, she finally mastered the double-blades, had her own personal swords made, and was the most graceful among her family._

_She managed to rid them of their weapons. With one swipe, she cut off all of their heads at once. Blood splattered out before their bodies dropped to the ground._

_Six more seconds passed._

_They were now officially dead._

_She looked at the remaining demons. There were only six of them; not including the head-honcho who was just staring. Watching… _

"**Let's see him enjoy **_this_** little show."**_ She thought. As the six remaining demons came towards her, she positioned herself in a fighting stance._

_The first demon, a black-scaled reptilian demon like the leader, had swung his scythe; aiming for her neck. She managed to get her blade in between two of the large teeth of the scythe, and then brought her sword up to rid him of his weapon._

_She jumped in the air, and put away her swords, before grabbing the scythe. A scythe allowed quick-movements as well. The long curved blades at the top would cut not once, but thrice. It'll be much easier to take on these demons now._

_She landed on one of the demons. Its fur was like metal and she cut her feet. She didn't care though. The pain was nothing._

_As it reached for her, she swung the scythe and cut off its arm. It howled. _**"A Dog Demon,"** _she thought._ **"Such a low-class demon. Couldn't this guy do better?"**

_As the Dog Demon went rabid, she used it as her ride as the other demons came at her. She kicked one in the head, before slicing its torso. She shoved one blade down the throat of another and then abruptly moved the scythe so that it cut the demon's jaw._

_It was a complete massacre._

_As she finished off the last, remaining demon — her little ride — she landed gracefully on the ground with one hand in front of her, the one holding the bloodied weapon behind her, and both of her feet were spread apart, ready to pounce._

_Eyes flashed red._

_The demon leader was now furious. She had slaughtered his comrades. The people who had always been at his side, and done practically everything for him._

_Gone._

_Because of her._

_But the leader didn't seem to be affected. No. Instead, it licked its snout before letting out a vicious roar. She felt her skin begin to crawl. She did not like that sound… at all…_

_Soon, her senses were on high-alert. She could easily feel the change in the air. The powerful demonic auras beginning to arise._

"**What the hell?"**_ She thought. How could there be more than one demonic aura? She thought the leader was the last one. He couldn't possibly have had mo— _**"Of course,"**_ she thought. _**"That's why he hasn't moved to fight me yet. Those demons with him weren't his last… they were his lackeys."**

_She wanted to rip out her own hair._

_She had wasted so much energy on fighting those other demons — when they weren't even the ones that she was supposed to be worried about. They were distractions. A plan to make her weaker for when he brought out his big boys._

"**Dammit."**_ She could feel something slithering around her ankles. But she refused to look down. She wasn't about to give this guy an opening._

_She could feel it. She could feel _**them**_. _

_She watched as the shadows seemed to grow darker. As the shadows of the gate behind them, and of the demon's palace, became blacker and blacker. Then… they began to grown._

_They started becoming small hills, and soon grew larger and larger in size. Before she knew it, they seemed to have bodies; only they had no legs. Their eyes were just glowing red orbs. Their teeth were just areas of the darkness that were not as dark as the inside of their mouths, but she could see them dripping._

_With what?_

_Poison._

_Toxins._

_Who knows?_

_She hasn't dealt with Shadow Demons before. Her lands were demon-free (besides her and her clan members), and she hasn't been out in a while. Her friends in charge of keeping track of the demons in and out of the area haven't come across any reports of Shadow Demons before. They knew what they were, but not how to deal with them._

_Now was a good a time as any to try and figure out a few things about them. Continuing with their appearance._

_They had different types of horns sticking from their heads. Their nails were long and jagged, and sharp. They were grotesque, and since she knew nothing about them, they were also dangerous._

"_Surprised?" The reptilian leader asked. The demons around him hissed. Most likely communicating with each other. She wished she knew what they were saying…_

_She refused to answer him._

"_Defiant little thing. Aren't you?"_

"…"

"_You'll be a great prize for when I finally capture you. You and your little friends cause too much trouble… And once I have you, I'll get the others. One-by-one… you'll all be mine."_

"**One-by-one, you all will die."**_ She thought. But she would take it easy. She'd test them first. Then, she'd kill them all._

_Injuries or not._

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p>"Hey Sango," Shippou said as he hopped down from the tree that he had taken shelter in; while the others did what they had to do. "How'd it go?" He immediately asked.<p>

He knew that Sango and Inuyasha had gone off to fight the female Spider Demon that they were told about; while he stayed with Miroku and Kouga who were in charge of asking-around more — just in case that demon wasn't the right one.

At the sad smile that appeared on Sango's face, Shippou knew that that demon hadn't been the right one.

"I'm sorry." Sango immediately apologized. She knew that out of all of them, Shippou wanted to find Kagome the most. He had been there when Kagome encountered the demon. He felt that he should've done more to keep Kagome from being abducted.

He felt so guilty. He felt that — had he not left her to get help — he could've somehow stopped the female demon and Kagome would be with them at the moment.

She's tried convincing him that it wasn't his fault, but the kitsune refused to believe it.

He felt that it was only his burden; all of his fault.

Sango wanted to convince him that they would find her soon, so that he would no longer feel upset, but as she opened her mouth, Shippou quickly changed the depressing subject to a different aspect that didn't involve another failure.

"Miroku came back a little earlier," the Fox Demon said.

"Oh really? What did he say?" Sango asked. She slowly began to make her way over to where Shippou now sat — atop Kagome's large yellow backpack. It was his favorite place to be now, because Kagome wasn't around to hold him.

Taking a seat, she listened to Shippou's answer. "He said that he's going to a shrine to talk to the priests and priestesses there about the local demons. Kirara's with him."

"Why would they know anything?" Sango asked. She had a sneaking suspicion that that wasn't what Miroku actually went off to do.

"I don't know," Shippou said. "And Kouga went to find some water to clean his wounds. Did Inuyasha give them to him?" At Sango's nod, Shippou sighed. "If they keep fighting, we'll never find Kagome…"

"Don't think that Shippou, of course we will," Sango said. "I'll guarantee you that by the end of the week, we'd have found Kagome."

"That's what you said last week."

"I know…" Sango said sadly with a twinge of guilt. "But there is no doubt in my mind that this will be it. That this will be the week when we find her. We're getting closer… I can feel it."

"How can you feel it when you're not a demon?" Shippou asked.

Sango sighed. "I just can…" She said softly.

A moment of silence passed before Shippou asked, changing the subject once again, "Where's Inuyasha?"

Sango, at that moment, had just realized that Inuyasha hadn't come back to the camp. Of course, she didn't exactly expect him to. She doubted that he would just waltz back here before her; just to avoid running into her on his walk back there.

She also didn't believe that he would just come back to camp after what she said to him. That wouldn't exactly be Inuyasha-ish of him.

And because of this, her response was, "Doesn't matter. Come on—" She paused to stand up and grab Kagome's bag. "Let's go find Kouga and Miroku. We should continue looking for Kagome — we can't allow Inuyasha's absence to set us back."

Normally, Shippou would try to defend Inuyasha the slightest, but the situation was getting more and more tense — so he followed Sango wordlessly, out of the forest.

* * *

><p>His hair was furiously blowing in the wind as he ran as fast as he possibly could, towards where Kagome was first captured.<p>

After leaving the group, he decided to go pick-up a few clues on Kagome's disappearance, where she was first captured. When the group had arrived there earlier, they only stayed for a few seconds to see if there were any villages nearby, before completely forgetting about the area.

He knew from experience that this was never a wise thing to do. There were always clues left behind at the crime scene, no matter how small.

That's why he was heading back there.

He soon landed on jagged, cold grass and stared straight ahead at a log where a pile of blood was, next to it. He immediately headed over there and looked down at the dried brown blood that seemed to be molding in with the dirt, perfectly.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the blood over again. Nothing. Nothing but a giant blotch of what used to be crimson.

Groaning, he turned to search the rest of the area. He hadn't taken his time to study the place, before, but now — as strange as it may seem — he took his time to look over every tree, every bush, every hole.

And that's when he saw another large gap in the foliage.

He knew the one behind where Kagome's blood is, was where their camp was before. So where did this gap lead?

Walking forward, he looked at the area around the gap first, before beginning to walk through the gap. His senses were on high-alert, and he was ready for anything to try and attack him. Although he doubted there was anything alive within the gap.

Around him was nothing but burnt vegetation — the smell of burnt wood still ruled the air even though it had been a week since it happened. Trees were left as stumps, bushes were barely branches, and flower patches were nothing but ash. There were even a few boulders that had been slightly turned to rubble.

"_Damn,"_ Inuyasha thought. _"Did Kagome's arrow actually do this much damage?"_ He knew that the miko wasn't as weak as she was before, but he never knew that she was now _this_ strong.

He had to say, it was slightly amazing to see a product of Kagome's growth. She turned what surely used to be a prosperous area for plant and animal (maybe even demon) life alike, into a dead part of a forest.

"_And yet she couldn't even fucking defend herself correctly against one damn demon. Pfft. Pathetic."_

Coming along the end of the path, his eyes landed on the arrow lodged into the tree in front of him (he was amazed that the tree wasn't burnt like everything else).

Going over to it, he felt a strong amount of pure energy coming from it.

That made the arrow dangerous.

If he touched it, he could be purified and dead in a second. But at the same time, this was one of Kagome's arrows and her miko energy had yet to develop to the point where anything she touched and put her energy in, stayed purified and dangerous to all demons, forever.

This had to be the energy of the female demon who had captured Kagome. Shippou had told them how she deflected Kagome's arrows with her swords.

This was most likely the left-over demonic energy that he was feeling from the demon.

So without a second-thought, he went to grab it. But as soon as his hand touched the arrow, a searing hot pain coursed through it — much worse than when Kagome had accidently almost purified him once.

He let out an agonizing groan as he looked at his hand. The skin on his palm was disintegrating. A gaping hole was forming and blood was gushing out like mad.

"_Shit! What the fuck is this?"_

Was this another sign of Kagome's improvement? Had he underestimated how long her arrows would contain her purification powers?

No.

Couldn't be.

There was no way that Kagome was skilled enough in her miko powers to cause a demon's skin to disintegrate immediately when coming in contact with the energy. She has only had a few lessons with Kaede, and wasn't as advanced as Kikyou, just yet.

This also couldn't be the demon's energy. Why would demonic energy hurt another demon? It made no sense.

No.

This had to be something else…

Sadly, he couldn't dwell too much on the subject, though, because he could now see the bones in his hand. Unable to remain steady enough to stand anymore, he dropped to his knees and quickly began to search for something to stop the intense bleeding. He knew (from hearing Kagome and Kaede speak about injuries) that the only reason he was weak was because he was losing blood.

Fast.

He had to stop it before he passed-out.

All he could find were his clothes, but that was impossible. He would need both of his hands to rip his clothes and tie a cloth around his wounded hand. Either that, or the necessary strength it would take to rip out his tessaiga and use it to dig some of the fabric of his hakama into the ground, before pulling with his body and ripping it.

Not gonna happen.

Even with the slightest motion, his hand burned even more and blood quickly began to pool out of the area (plus he had no strength to do any of those).

He was starting to feel woozy.

He couldn't stop himself as his body fell forward — more pain erupting in his hand at the motion. He looked forward. His hand was pressed under his body, soaking his clothes completely, as he felt blackness begin to form around his eyesight.

He had lost too much blood.

He was too weak.

As his eyes started to close, he noticed a few sounds around him of leaves and twigs rustling and breaking, but he was not able to see just who or _what_ it was that had found him.

As he finally passed out, he could've sworn he heard a soft whisper, but was out before he could contemplate on it more.

"Inuyasha…"

* * *

><p>Kagome entered Hitomi's room silently; carrying another cup of the tea Yuksi had taught her to make a week ago, that healed stomach injuries from the inside-out. She had been giving him the tea every time she went to check on the progress of his wounds (so three times a day), and she had to say that it was actually working.<p>

She set the tea on the mixing table, before grabbing a batch of the pre-prepared healing ointments that she would need, and walking over to Hitomi's sleeping form.

She then began to do her usual routine of checking and healing.

Since when she first started, Hitomi's condition has gotten much, much better. While at first, his face had to be almost completely wrapped in bandages, now, the bandages were taken off and Kagome could see that Hitomi was, in fact, a handsome demon.

His facial structure was practically perfect, and his sunset-colored hair framed his face beautifully. His eyelashes were long and dark, and his lips looked soft to the touch.

Of course, this was just her honestly observing him. There was nothing else behind it.

Besides his face, most of Hitomi's scars had already healed. The gash he had on his arm that went from his shoulder blade to his wrist, was also healed. There wasn't even a scar — a sign that his natural demon ability of healing himself, was working again.

"_You'll be awake soon,"_ Kagome concluded. _"And then I can leave — that is, if Yayuki is awake by then, also."_

Her mind vaguely remembered the conversation she had with Yayuki during her first day of healing. How, after she was done healing Hitomi and he was awake, Yayuki would personally deliver her back to her friends, and explain her motive for taking Kagome (but leaving out as much detail as she possibly could), and apologize to her friends for the fright she caused.

Hopefully both Yayuki and Hitomi would be awake soon, and Kagome could be back with her friends by the end of the week.

Hopefully.

Sighing, the miko finished wrapping the gongs around Hitomi's splint (despite the scar being healed, his arm was still broken) before she pulled the cloth back and looked at his worst wound.

It was almost gone.

Blood was no longer leaking from his stomach as if the wound were fresh, and the skin was slowly melding itself together. Pretty soon, she could take out the stitches — maybe even tomorrow? After all, the wound was basically healed; it just needed to close-up and she was sure that with his healing abilities running again, it would be safe to take out the stitches tomorrow.

Quickly cleaning the wound and changing the bandages there as well (oh yeah, it would be safe to take out those stitches tomorrow), Kagome cleaned and replaced the items she had used, before grabbing the cup of still-warm tea (the process was no longer extremely time-consuming), and heading back to take a seat next to the male.

Once properly seated, she used one hand to bring Hitomi's head up gently, while the other held the tea cup and brought it slowly to his mouth.

She parted his lips with the edge of the cup, the perfect amount, before tilting the cup even more and forcing the tea to go into his mouth — where it would then force its way down his throat and into his stomach; before doing its job.

As she gave Hitomi his cup of time, she felt a large flash of demonic aura emerge. Her eyes narrowed at the suspicious feeling of the powerful aura, and she briefly wondered where it came from before the skin on Hitomi's face began to twitch; from his eyes to his mouth.

Her eyes soon widened when Hitomi's eyelids opened, and she found herself staring at a pair of crystal-clear-colored eyes.

"_Oh my god,"_ she immediately thought. _"He… he's awake!"_

She was filled with shock as she stared at Hitomi; who just stared at her as well, but coolly. He didn't seem bothered at all that he had just awoken to a human female holding his head, and making him drink tea.

Why wasn't he bothered by it?

Wasn't it weird? Suspicious? Shouldn't he be attacking her for touching him and asking her if she was trying to poison him or something?

But no.

Instead, Kagome slowly lowered his head, as well as the cup and started to collect herself.

She should say something. Despite his silence, she knew that he knew that this was an odd situation, and that things needed to be cleared-up immediately. And since it didn't seem like he was going to speak any time soon, she knew that she had to speak. But what should she say? Perhaps… she should just be formal and give him the facts?

Yes.

That's exactly what she'll do.

"Uh… hi…" Kagome said nervously. She waited for some sort of expression to appear on his face, but he remained the same; no emotion or feeling evident on his face. "My name is Kagome and… and… and I was, um, brought here by Yayuki to help heal you."

"Heal me?" She was a little taken back that he had spoken, but quickly composed herself. If he noticed her shock, he sure didn't show signs that he had.

"Uh, yeah," she finally answered. "To heal you. You got some really bad wounds when you protected Yayuki from those demons — the worst one being the one on your abdomen caused by a tree trunk being forced through. You were also poisoned — which stopped you from healing yourself — and all of the blood you lost caused you to pass-out. I've spent the last week or so healing you."

Hitomi moved his neck around a little, almost as if he were trying to look at his body, and noticing this, Kagome cautiously used her hand (checking with him first to see if it was alright — he gave her a nod) to move back the sheet on his body, and allowed him to see what she was talking about.

"Can you please help me up?" Kagome nodded her head before completely setting down the tea cup, beside her.

She then allowed Hitomi to grab one of her hands, while she placed the other as far on his back as she could. She pulled with all of her strength as she began to help the surprisingly calm male demon, sit up.

As soon as he sat up, Hitomi thanked Kagome for helping him (he was so polite), before he began to study his body.

The first thing he noticed were the bandages around his abdomen. And not just a small section of it, but basically all of it. The bandages literally started from under his arms, and stopped just at his hips. Had the wound really been that bad?

It seemed fine now, though. He vaguely remembered the stabbing pain he felt when the trunk pierced the front part of his stomach — and now all that he felt was a numbing pain.

He'll admit this, the female — Kagome — had above-average healing techniques if she was able to handle such a wound. But at the same time, she said that Yayuki had been the one to bring her there. He doubted that Yayuki would've just picked _anybody_ to heal his body. It only made sense that she was an absolutely perfect healer.

The second thing he noticed was the strange object on his arm. There were two pieces of wood stopping the mobility of his wrist, that were tied using gongs.

"What is this?" He asked. He'd never seen anything like it. If his arm was broken, why wasn't it just resting in a cloth, with the cloth tied across his chest? This… whatever it was, was definitely new to him.

"Oh, um, it's a splint," Kagome said. At the look he gave her — with slight confusion dancing in his eyes — Kagome realized that she better explain more deeply. "There was really no reason to not have you be able to move your entire arm — it was just your wrist that was broken; a bone had been misplaced and after I put it back in and closed the wound, I made it so that no matter what you did, your wrist wouldn't be able to move at all, and your bone would be able to heal faster." She said.

"I've never seen this technique before…" He said as he tested out his arm and saw that while his elbow bent smoothly, his wrist wouldn't even budge. "You are quite advanced if you are able to do this."

"Oh, thank you," Kagome said softly. "But really, I'm not that good. I just do things that I remember seeing." She said.

"Your memory must be impeccable, then."

Hitomi continued to study his body. His gaze then shifted from his left arm, to his right. He could see a weird pattern in his flesh. It was almost like string had been looped through it or something.

"Miss," Hitomi said as he moved his right arm towards her so that she could see the string tightly woven in his arm, as well. He was sure that she did this, too. "Please explain."

"They're stitches," Kagome said. "It's string that I put in your skin using a needle, to help your skin connect a little faster; after your skin is once again attached to itself enough, I'm going to take them out and let it finish healing on its own."

Hitomi nodded his head.

These techniques that she used were so very foreign to him, but they worked. All that she did worked. He found it amazing — and he was not one to be so easily amazed.

"Thank you," he finally said after doing a finally check of his body to find that all of his systems were back to normal, and that he would be fully healed in about two days. "You have done much for me, and yet you do not know me. You are a very kind human." He said.

Kagome blushed lightly at the compliment. She tried her best to hide it, but she knew that he could clearly see it because her face was completely exposed to him; her hair was all tied back into a bun, as usual since her arrival at the cave.

"You're welcome, but… you don't need to thank me," Kagome said. "I didn't do this all by myself. Yayuki helped out, and Yuksi as well. Without them, I don't think I could have done it."

"But these techniques are yours. I know for a fact that this is not how Yayuki or Yuksi heal; I do have a right to thank you." He said. Kagome pondered on his statement for a while, and decided that she could take a small amount of credit for healing Hitomi. So she decided to accept the full intensity of his thanks.

"_He's nice,"_ she thought. _"He doesn't even know me and he's polite and is thanking me. Had he been Inuyasha, the second he'd wake-up, he would've started yelling and cursing at the demon that caused him to black-out."_ She had to say, it was a nice change. To be treated with so much respect from a (not _completely_ absolute) stranger. But at the same time, from what she's slightly learned about this stranger, he protected humans as well. Of course he would be nice to her.

"I should probably tell Yuksi that you're awake," Kagome said as she grabbed his attention. "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to find out that you're not sleeping anymore, Hitomi."

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

"Yayuki told me." Kagome responded. Then she realized that her just saying his name so casually was probably irritating him or something. Kinda like how Yayuki hated it when Yuksi called her _Master_. "I'm sorry if I shouldn't have called you that. Is there anything else I could — or should — call you?" She asked.

Hitomi shook his head. "_Hitomi_ is fine. I can assume that I can call you Kagome, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"And you, Kagome, are some sort of miko." She had no clue how he could tell (maybe it was just _that_ obvious?), but she was glad that she could be spotted for her _profession_ so easily. She nodded once again; smiling.

"Right."

"You look a lot like the miko, Kikyou," his words made her freeze. Is that why he could tell? Because she looked like Kikyou? "Although, Kikyou never had your level of skill."

For a moment, she felt smug. She was better than Kikyou. Hitomi just said that while she resembled Kikyou, she was better than her — maybe not by much, but she didn't care. The point was, she had a higher level of skill than Kikyou.

She was _better_ than Kikyou.

_She_ was _better_ than _Kikyou_.

Who says copies can't be better than the original?

Kagome smiled. "Thank you." She then grabbed the empty tea cup, fully stood up, and began to make her way towards the door. "I'll be right back. Is there anything you want before I leave?" At the shake of his head, Kagome said a few more words to Hitomi before disappearing from his eyesight, and beginning to make her way to Yayuki's room — where she sensed Yuksi's faint demonic aura.

The whole way there, she couldn't help but decide that, while they may not know each other quite well, she _definitely_ liked Hitomi. He was polite, nice, and seemed to have a good sense of judgment.

Also, he said that she was _better_ than Kikyou.

Yep. She _definitely_ liked him.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p><em>They had her.<em>

_Those stupid demons had her captured in barely a second. All she had done was blink, and she felt her body begin to become restricted as they began to tie her up. She grit her teeth as her arms were painfully twisted behind her, and her legs were bound tightly together._

_Her entire body was wrapped up in black, up to her neck. Briefly, she wondered why the power that naturally emitted from her sword, wasn't burning these demons._

_Anything that touched her sword gets affected by the spirit behind it, and reacts. If it is a demon, its skin begins to eat away at itself, completely. A poison — an acid — tore every tissue, every vein, every muscle, every fragment of bone that the demon held. _

_If it is a human, they will experience a great sense of power flow through their body that will cause them to heal quicker, or become more determined. But that is only if the human is good. If the human is bad, they will experience the same pain as the demons who touch her sword, will experience._

_And if the person touching it is one of her subjects, nothing will happen. The sword will not harm them, or help them in some way. Her subjects did not need help. They had enough power as it was, and were definitely pure-of-heart._

_The point is: If a demon touches anything tainted by her energy, the effect is negative. If a human touches anything tainted by her energy, the effect is positive or negative; depending on the human. And if one of her subjects touches her sword, nothing will happen to them because they did not need or deserve it._

_But these demons — their skin was not burning. Their insides were not being eaten from the inside-out (and vice-versa)._

_They were not being destroyed._

"**When I get out of this, I must report it." **_But judging by how she literally couldn't even move a finger (they wrapped around her quite tightly), she actually had doubts on whether she would get out of this situation alive or not. _

_This was a new feeling for her: doubt. She had never truly felt it before; until now._

"_Not so tough now, are ya?" The leader asked as he walked forward. The Shadow Demon that bound her, lowered its appendage to allow the leader to have a more face-to-face conversation with their captive._

"_And to think you killed-off all of my clan one-by-one." He spit in her face, causing her to grimace in disgust. "I guess it was for the best, though. Now I know how truly weak they are, and how I never needed them in the first place."_

_She stayed silent. Despite having a blazing fire burn inside of her soul (becoming even more wild considering how he just spit on her), telling her that she wanted to rip out of this hold that the Shadow Demon had her in, and slaughter them all, she sadly knew that she had to stay calm because she couldn't._

_She was too weak and was suffering from a few injuries that were inflicted on her when she tried to stop the demons from wrapping around her. They had scratched her body with their talons, and she could feel _**her**_ skin burning._

_It was supposed to be the other way around._

_Whatever the liquid was that was dripping from their fangs, it was dripping on their nails too because her body immediately alerted her that she had been poisoned; and now her muscles wouldn't move on her command. It was like they were shackled or being held down, or something._

_Of course, she could tap into her seal and use the power she gained from that to not only instantly heal herself and remove the poison from her body in one powerful blast of energy, but to also defeat all of the Shadow Demons, the demon leader, and finally call it a night and go home to get some much-deserved-and-earned pampering and relaxation._

_But she couldn't._

_If she tapped into _**that**_ energy _**at all**_, everything she uses it for will be painfully reflected on her body, later on. She'll suffer from heavy wounds and bleeding that will come from every cut that she used the seal, to heal. And then eventually — when the pain and blood-loss become too much — she'll pass-out and sleep the rest of the days away until her body is once again healed._

_As soon as she wakes-up, she'll get hell for neglecting her duties for so long. Health issues or not._

_Not only were the risks that she would be taking a factor, but she also couldn't move any of her muscles or summon the required energy needed to tap into her seal._

_She was basically defense-less; waiting for her fate._

_How pathetic._

"_Such a pretty thing," the leader continued; forcing her attention back on him and not her thoughts. He used one clawed finger to move her face from side-to-side. She wanted to bite his finger off._

_At that moment, the Shadow Demon wrapped its shadow around her mouth. The action surprised her immensely, and she only grew more curious as to what just happened as the leader smirked. Why did the shadow cover her mouth? And just as she thought about biting off the leader's finger, too…_

"_They can tell what you're thinking," he said. "You'll never escape. They'll form themselves around you in an impenetrable hold around your body according to every way you wish to harm me." He smirked and licked his snout once again._

_She grew angrier._

"**They read my thoughts,"**_ She thought. _**"No more thinking. Only instinct."**

_She shut down her thoughts. Her mind was completely blank as she stared at the demon who was now circling her._

"_Hmm… what to do, what to do…" She heard him say. "Normally, I would take a demon such as yourself for my bride. But considering your role in life, I can't do that — _**yet**_."_

_Yet?_

_Did he actually think she'd just let him marry her? Hell no! Her family were already picking her betrothed, thank you (as much as she hated it), and it certainly wouldn't be anyone close to this demon. He'd be way above this reptile in every way, shape and form._

_She wasn't about to marry a demon who literally wasn't good enough for her — she wasn't about to marry a cruel demon, either! She wasn't about to marry this demon, period._

"_You'll be my captive. A heavy bounty for your freedom. I'll be rich — richer than any other demon. Then, I shall keep you and use your safety as leverage. If your clan _**dares**_ to try and take me down, I'll have my demons shred you apart in no time. Do you understand, my dear?"_

_She fought back the disgusting shiver that ran down her spine as he stuck his disgusting tongue out at her, and licked her. How many times is she going to be violated by his salivation?_

_His long tongue curved around the shape of her head as he delivered a long, slow lick._

"_How tasty," he said after he put his tongue back in his mouth — thank god, too! "You'll make quite a delectable bride. And after I have you, and my safety is secured, I'll get the others— Hold on," he said as an after-thought occurred. "If I make you my bride, then all that you have is mine. _**Including**_ your status _**and**_ that clan of yours."_

_Her eyes narrowed at the look in his eyes. He already seemed ecstatic._

"_That's much better than killing them off," he said. "With your clan at my disposal, I can rule all of this land. Every last corner will be mine. I will be the most-feared demon, _**ever**_."_

_As her mind imagined everything that he would do to her and her clan, and the humans that they swore to protect, she couldn't help the fear that stirred in her heart. He was right. If he married her (whether she liked it or not), he would immediately become ruler of her entire clan because she was its heir and would embrace her position of ruler as soon as she was married; with her husband at her side._

_No._

_No._

_She couldn't let that happen. The area was in enough chaos as it was. There was no need — _**no need**_ — to cause it to become more disorderly!_

_But this demon… this disgusting, repulsive, grotesque reptilian demon… planned on doing just. That._

_Oh why had she been dumb enough to come alone? Had she accepted the help of her friends, she wouldn't have to deal with this demon, and the situation would never had gotten this grave. With their powers, she was certain that they would've taken down the Shadow Demons and the leader, easily enough._

_But no._

_She had been too proud to accept their help, and chose to go to the rogue village, alone. She felt so stupid…_

_As the demon continued to think-up of everything that he would do once he had her clan at his bay, she couldn't help but study the area. While all she saw were dead bodies, they were far more interesting and less painful to look at, than the demon ready to stab order in the heart._

_That's when she noticed it._

_Her strong vision picked up a shadow far, far away from her. It was sitting atop the gate leading into the village. The shadow of a male with broad shoulders, and hair that was spiky, but down and falling near his neck._

_The male was crouching. Keeping low. Not allowing himself to be scene or sensed. But she, being as skilled as she was, saw him._

_And she had never been so happy in her entire lifetime._

_Especially when the male shadow raised its left hand (from her perspective) and she could make out a sharp sword. Then, the demon swung the sword and energy pierced through the air before one of the five Shadow Demons present, hissed loudly while its body began to evaporate._

_Such power._

_A power that was on _**her**_ side._

"_What the hell?" The reptilian leader shouted as he looked desperately around the area to find the source of that blast. It had taken out one of his Shadow Demons. He needed to find it and neutralize — kill — it before it happened again and he lost all of that land and fortune._

_After his outburst, he felt an impossibly thick demonic aura and within moments, something flashed to the left of him. Turning his eyes there, they widened as he looked at who was there._

_Sunset hair. Crystal eyes. Dressed perfectly in all-black, and holding a black sword that was as sharp as hell, with designs on it that were told were actually ancient spells that made the blade stronger than it seemed. There was a groove on either side of the blade, towards the end, that fit nicely against the holder's shoulder as he rested it there._

"_Set her free." He immediately demanded._

_Despite knowing how strong the demon before him was (he was, after all, a part of _**her**_ clan), the leader shook his head. He could practically taste the power on his tongue. He wasn't about to give it up when it was so close._

"_Harm me and she dies." He immediately countered back. Despite his threat, the demon didn't faze._

"_I'm not giving you an option, and your petty threats don't work on me. Set her free before I slay you all. Or would you prefer it if I slay you now?" It almost sounded like he was giving him an option (although they both ended in his death), but in reality, the leader knew the male was actually mocking him._

_He doubted his power. The male doubted his power and that of his Shadow Demons. He was foolish to do so. He had no clue just how much force he had, over him._

_This demon is going down._

_He moved his tail in a specific way; telling one of the Shadow Demons to sneak up on the male, and capture him like how its companion had just done to his captive._

_One of the demons saw it and began to sink into the ground. Soon it was completely gone and was headed towards the new demon male — she saw this. She saw the movement of the tail, and the disappearance of the demon._

_She had to warn him. _

_She had to warn him that he was about to be captured just like she had. If that demon got a grip on him, it would then predict his every move by using his thoughts, and make it so that he can't escape from its grip. Exactly what they must've done to her._

_But she didn't want to make it too obvious. So she settled for clashing her eyes with him. The two instantly connected, and she made her eyes flash with a warning before darting to the ground._

_Almost immediately, his sword had come alive with violent sparks of light, and he was jamming it into the ground. The Shadow Demon that had tried to sneak-up on him came out of the ground in wisps of smoke as it evaporated as well. He then lifted his sword again, but did not rest it against his shoulder. Instead he got in a fighting stance. _

_The leader was surprised to say the least. How did he know about the demon coming after him?_

_Never mind that. He had a bigger problem to worry about. He knew that what he just witnessed was a small snippet of the demon's power. He probably wasn't even trying hard. Hell. He'd have to work hard now just to stop this sword-wielding demon._

_But at the same time, maybe not? After all, he had the girl. She was at his full disposal and if it just so happened that he needed to slice a few things on her to secure his safety, then so be it. After all, he was going to use her for that, anyway. As a shield — just like every other demon._

"_Harm me and I'll kill her." He finally said. The demon simply cocked his head to the side._

"_Kill her and I'll personally send you to hell."_

_He hated how he said it. As if he were bored. As if this were all just a waste of his time. It was demeaning to him. He was a powerful demon. A force to be reckoned with — he's tamed Shadow Demons dammit!_

_He'll show this cocky demon just how lightly he should be taken._

"_Get him." He snarled the command and two of his last three Shadow Demons charged at him. One hid itself by making itself invisible. Let's see him sense it now._

_As the leader watched the first demon begin to dodge the violent and smooth swipes of the blade, he ran to his remaining Shadow Demon. He knew that the demon would kill off his Shadow Demons in no time. And in that time, he head to flee._

"_To my palace," he whispered to the Shadow Demon, looking at the girl. "Your little lover won't ever see you again."_

_As her eyes widened, she looked at where her savior (not lover) was — half wrapped-up by a Shadow Demon. No! Now he'll never get free! Those demons will wrap around him tightly, and their poison will make him extremely weak. He'll die…_

_She tried to scream his name. To warn him. But all that came-out was a muffled sound similar to someone choking. Her throat muscles were paralyzed, too? Crap._

"**Hitomi…"**_ She thought sadly. He was going to die. Because of her, he was going to die. Her best friend…_

_No._

_No._

_She wasn't about to let that happen. Screw the consequences. She was going to tap into her seal whether she was weak-as-hell, or not. She couldn't let him die — she _**wouldn't**_ let him die._

_But as she tried to tap into her seal while she was taken into the demon's palace, she felt angry tears wanting to emerge. Was she really this useless? Even after all of her years of training, she was still too weak to tap into her seal when she barely had any strength?_

_It made her so upset._

_Hitomi could do it. He could do it in the blink of an eye and the consequences were always small — a day or two of sleep. No blood. No pain. Just sleep._

_She watched helplessly as the demon opened a large red door and she saw what she assumed used to be his quarters. He ran to the bed and used his tail to smash it. Under it was a door. A trap door. They really might be able to escape… No!_

"**Hitomi!"**_ She screamed in her mind. _**"Hitomi please! Hurry! Hurry!"**

"**Stop screaming in my mind, Yayuki,"**_ came the response. She felt so happy to hear his voice — even though it was just mentally. _**"I'm coming."**

"**No. You won't be able to escape their grasp. They accommodate themselves to what you're thinking. As a matter of fact, they're most likely hearing our conversation now…"**_ She had forgotten about that until now. Panic did that to her — no matter how rarely she panicked._

_The world became black as they went down the trap door. But she, no matter how weak she was, had the natural ability of being able to see in the dark, perfectly. _

_In her mind, he scoffed. She swears, she could see his face, too. _**"I've got them under control."**

"**You tapped into your seal, didn't you?"**

"**It's the only way I could've broken free. They're dead now. I'm in the house — where are you?"**

"**His room. Trap door. Hurry."**

"**Don't worry — I'll save you."**

_She felt some relief as she heard him say that. Now all the demon had was one Shadow Demon, and himself. He didn't stand a chance against Hitomi; especially when he was using his seal. He was an orderly beast (as strange as it may sound). His movements were quicker, faster, deadlier, and—_

_A crash reached her ear. And she saw the muscles of the demon before her, tense. He urgently smashed through another door, and she saw how they were once again outside._

_It was just an escape to outside. Where Hitomi had more room to kick his ass? Idiot._

_They had barely made it five feet away from the palace before Hitomi appeared before them. He looked the same. Except she could clearly see the marks of ancient writing that were as black as the darkest night, on his hands. She knew that his entire body was covered in that writing…_

_The handle of his sword had also changed. It was much more profound now, and a dark black jewel shone brightly at the top center. Oh yeah. This demon wouldn't survive._

"_Release her." Hitomi ordered._

_The demon didn't do anything. Well, not anything. He ordered his Shadow Demon to point one of its poisonous claws at her neck, and he threatened to slash her to pieces if Hitomi dared to do anything._

_Basically nothing — especially how, in a flash, Hitomi disappeared and before she knew it, she was in his arms and the Shadow Demon was in pain — but not dead. Yet._

_She felt so relieved. She wasn't going to die. _**He**_ wasn't going to die. But the cruel demon who planned to take her as his bride, and destroy all the peace that her and her clan have created, was _**definitely**_ going to die._

"_Are you alright?" Hitomi asked her as he set her gently down under a tree._

"**I… I can't move…"**_ She said weakly, in his mind. _

"**Activate your seal. I know it's a risk, but—"**

"**No good. They poisoned me. I can't move my body… at all…" **_She said. She saw the look in his eyes as he stared at her — before it turned into complete anger and he turned to the demon who was trying to flee._

"_I'll be right back." He said softly before he leaped right in front of the demon; startling it. His eyes flashed as he stared the demon down. "You poisoned her." He said. "You _**hurt**_ her."_

_The leader could sense the anger radiating off of him. He knew that any moment now, he would be dead — just like his comrades and his Shadow Demons. All that he had worked for would be ripped away from him. All of his power. All of his land. All of the command that he had worked years endlessly gaining._

_And all because of her._

_Because of that little demon brat who thought it would be funny to slay his clan. That bitch! If it weren't for her, he would still have everything he worked so hard to gain._

_At that moment, he came to a realization. He didn't care if he died — as long as that bitch went with him._

_After all: Nobody dies alone._

_He sent a quick mental command to his Shadow Demon. It hissed its approval before leaving his side and going after the demon. He knew that he only had a good ten seconds before his demon was dead, and the boy would come after him._

_So he hurriedly made his way over to the closest tree. She would die. She would die a sharp, painful, slow death. That's why as soon as he had his hands on a tree, he ripped it from its roots and tore off the branches. He then used his sharp claws to start making the top of the tree sharper._

_Behind him, he heard the hiss of pain from his last Shadow Demon as the boy killed it. The demonic aura he sent, hitting him, made him work furiously._

"_Last one." He heard._

_He snapped his head behind him. Murder flashed in the male's eyes as he slowly made his way over to him. God. He was about to die — he knew that better than anything else at the moment. But like he said before, he was going to die alone._

_He looked at the tree and saw that it was sharp enough to pierce through that demoness' skin. He snarled and licked his snout before turning to the male; showing him the trunk._

"_That won't stop your death."_

"_I know," he said. "And I accept my death, but—" The male raised an eyebrow. Waiting for him to continue. The leader laughed a little. "I'm not going to die alone." He said._

"_That won't kill me." The male demon said._

"_I know it won't," the leader responded. "But it'll certainly kill her." Before the male could do a thing, he threw the sharpened tree at the girl; with the extra-sharp end pointed directly at her._

_He watched as the male's eyes widened before he completely forgot about him, and went to save the girl. He used this as his escape. As the male went to save his companion, he fled the scene. There was a river nearby — he'll use that to escape._

_Hitomi couldn't believe it. That demon was sick — sick and twisted. As the trunk got closer and closer to her, he felt his heart begin to pound harder and harder in fear._

_All he could think was: What if he didn't make it?_

_What if she died because he was too slow? What if that trunk pierced her body and the last vision he ever had of her was her dying in his arms? Blood coming profoundly from the wound, out of her mouth, and tears leaking from her eyes as she spoke his name._

"**Hitomi!"**_ She screamed in his mind._

"**Yayuki…"**_ With a burst of speed, he sped up. He knew that he wouldn't be able to destroy the trunk. If he did, the debris would hit her and the last thing he wanted to do was injure her._

_He had to do something else… but there was only one other thing he _**could**_ do…_

"**Don't worry — I'll save you."**

_Better him than her._

_With another burst of energy, he threw himself in front of the trunk. He grit his teeth tightly as it pierced through his stomach, and began to take him along for the ride. At that moment, he grabbed his sword, and dug it into the ground with his right hand._

_He could feel blood leaking into his throat. And while the sword was slowing him down, it wasn't working fast enough. So he dug his feet into the ground and pushed against the trunk — that demon used some force._

_Finally, they came to a stop. He groaned as he finally opened his eyes and looked down to see the trunk was deep in his chest. He could feel it too._

"_Hi… Hitomi…" The soft, ragged, choked whisper made him turn his head to the left. There, her eyes were wide with horror._

"_Yayuki…" Those were his final words before he passed-out._

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><p>After he woke-up and greeted Yuksi for the first time in months, Hitomi found himself in the hands of the miko healer. Yuksi had left them to attend to another issue, and he was watched-over by the miko as he got refreshed and ate.<p>

After his dip in the hot spring, he allowed her to redress his wounds, and then guide him to the kitchen where Yuksi had prepared some food for the both of them.

Now, fully refreshed, Hitomi allowed Kagome to guide him to where Yayuki's room was. While he knew a little about the cave they were in, he still was not familiar with where all of the different passages lead. The cave was large; and the only places he knew about were the garden, kitchen, waterfall and hot spring — only the major areas.

He and the miko turned a corner before she stopped in front of an archway that was covered by dark velvet cloth that was lined with good. Oh yeah; that was definitely Yayuki's room.

Kagome pulled back the cloth and allowed Hitomi to enter first. He thanked her and she responded with a soft smile. But the smile was wiped off her face and quickly replaced with a look of utter shock all together, as her beautiful brown eyes landed on the long, white-haired female sitting up in the bed, smiling, with a pair of ice-blue eyes.

The female had hair that was incredibly long and down. The hair was sprawled around the futon that she was on, in a very beautiful and swirly way. The female demon was dressed in a soft pink kimono that was very light and simple.

She was currently drinking a cup of tea that surely Yuksi had brought her not moments ago, because it was still warm — or so she thought; until she saw the pot across the room.

The first question that had popped in her mind was: Who is this girl? Is she another member of Yayuki and Yuksi's clan? Was she the issue that Yuksi had left Hitomi and her for? Or was this just a coincidence?

"It is true," the female spoke softly; a beautiful smile on her heart-shaped face. "You are awake."

Kagome watched as Hitomi walked over to the female, and took a seat next to Yuksi and her. He sat on the futon with her before he responded.

"Yeah," he said. "And from what I've heard, it's also a surprise that you're awake." The girl giggled. Her ice-blue eyes were positively shining with happiness. She seemed more than ecstatic that Hitomi was awake.

But how did she know that he had been asleep? She clearly remembered Yuksi telling her that they could not let others know of Hitomi's previous condition.

But maybe this girl was special and was allowed to know?

"Not really. Of course I would have awakened soon. _You_ on the other hand, are the _real_ surprise here." She said with a small, smug smirk on her face.

Kagome watched with mild interest as the mystery female and Hitomi began to bicker. They argued about who was more surprising, and the miko could clearly see that these two were very, very close. They bickered as if they were brother and sister…

A soft giggle reached the miko's ears and she turned to her side where a softly smiling Yuksi stood. When did she move from her spot?

"Are they not youthful?" Yuksi asked. Kagome nodded; forming a smile of her own.

"They almost look like they could be related." Kagome responded. Her eyes continued to study the two as Hitomi scoffed at something that the female had said. Kagome had completely missed it; but she wished she knew what it was. The female giggled loudly — the sound was very melodic.

"Well, not exactly," Yuksi responded. "But Yayuki-sama and Hitomi-san have always had that type of relationship."

Kagome's eyes immediately widened.

That girl… that girl sitting in the bed with the pure-white hair and ice-blue eyes was _Yayuki_? How? Her streaks were missing, and her eyes weren't purple. How could that girl possibly be Yayuki?

"Sh-she's Yayuki?" Kagome finally asked after recovering from her slight shock. She watched as Yuksi nodded — before her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Oh, that is right, you do not know," Yuksi said. "I wish I could tell you, but… you are going to leave soon, and I see no point. Forgive me." Yuksi apologized. Kagome gave her a small smile as she answered.

"Don't worry about it, Yuksi. I'm just glad that both Hitomi and Yayuki are awake and well." Kagome smiled brightly. She would soon be reunited with her friends, and Hitomi was finally awake. The day honestly couldn't have gotten better.

A few more seconds passed before their bickering stopped, and Yayuki turned her ice-blue eyes to Kagome. She smiled brightly as she called her over. "Kagome, please come here."

The miko arrived near Yayuki's spot in a matter of seconds, and kneeled down so that she could talk to her more directly.

"Thank you," Yayuki said. "Thank you so very much for healing Hitomi. You have no idea how happy I am." But Kagome could see it. The aura radiating off of this girl was the brightest and purest that she had ever felt. Her eyes were shining like mad, and she had a feeling that Yayuki could not stop smiling.

"You're welcome," Kagome said. "It was nothing really — and I should also be thanking you."

"Why so?"

"You have given me an opportunity to learn a little more about myself, and just how good I am with my abilities. I now feel a lot more confident in healing, and can't wait to show my friends what I've learned."

"Ah. Well, in that case, then you are also welcome — but my thanks for what you have done for me, are far greater." Yayuki's smiling face then grew serious. "I must also apologize for your neck. I did not mean to be so rough with you. I just needed you to come with me, and I was too frustrated to be civilized."

"I had tried apologizing when you first saw Hitomi, but…" Yayuki trailed off. So she _had_ been speaking to her before she left to get the flowers. Kagome had her mind set that she was actually speaking to Hitomi… but this was nice, too.

"It's okay. You did what you had to do — and didn't everything work out in the end? After all, it's healed." Her wound had fully healed three days ago, and she was glad that she no longer had to wear those gongs around her neck. They were always so itchy and it was a hassle having to get them changed.

"You are very forgiving," Yayuki said as she took a sip of her tea. "A nice, pure-hearted human with earnest intentions. I can see that the good in you reaches out to other, quite well…"

Kagome couldn't help but think: Where was she headed with this?

"You are as pure and special as the _Shikon no Tama_… My thanks is not enough — not proper. Kagome," Yayuki clashed her eyes with her as she gave the miko a very serious look. "Tell me your greatest wish… your deepest desire… and I shall grant it for you."

The miko was stunned.

Was… was Yayuki serious? Wait… what did she mean by that? She'll grant her wish? As in… Kagome tells her what she wants, and Yayuki will just… _give_ it to her? Just like that?

Did Yayuki even _have_ that power?

Briefly, she recalled what Yuksi had told her on her first day in the caves. When she was explaining about her past:

"_My master can do incredible things, miko… She'll do things for others if she sees that they deserve what they want. You'll soon figure that out." _

She couldn't help but think that maybe Yuksi knew that Yayuki would lavishly reward her for healing Hitomi. After all, why else would she have said that to her? And at the same time, what Kagome had done was no simple task.

She had not only healed Hitomi, but she had also taken out the poison that had kept him from healing himself. She had used her knowledge of her world, and what she has learned in her time in the Feudal Era, to heal a demon that was apparently very important if his condition had to be kept extremely secret.

She could see how that would deserve a bigger reward than a _thanks_, but she didn't think it had to be something as great as _having your ultimate wish come true_! That was too much.

But at the same time, Yayuki had kindly offered it; to make her greatest wish a reality. If she refused, it would be so rude.

And it is such a honor, too!

Literally a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and it was being handed to her in the form of a white-haired, ice-blue-eyed, petite, beautiful female demon who apparently thought that she was worthy of such a thing.

"I… I am not sure how to answer that, Yayuki," Kagome finally said. Yayuki raised an eyebrow at her; but Kagome could not see it because Yayuki's bangs covered her entire forehead — although, she could sense it. "I mean, I don't really know what my greatest wish is, so…"

"Perhaps I can help," Yuksi said as she went to stand before Kagome. The brown-haired human sent her a confused look, and the white-haired demon smiled. "Remember what we were talking about earlier in the garden?" She asked.

Kagome was confused until it finally hit her: Their conversation on her desire to learn how it was like to be a demon.

She scanned over everything the two said in that healing lesson, and couldn't help but smile at Yuksi. She was such a nice demon — reminding her of what truly was her greatest wish and deepest desire.

She just wondered if Yayuki would be able to grant it. What if it was too absurd to be done? She'd be branded a fool for asking such a thing, but… she had told Yuksi that if she ever had the opportunity to become a demon, she would take it.

Her opportunity was in front of her.

She just had to take it.

"Yayuki," Kagome finally said; the female stared at her with full-focus. "Thanks to Yuksi—" She sent the female a quick smile. "—I know what is my wish."

"Oh really?" Yayuki asked as she looked at Yuksi. She was just met with a brightly-smiling loyal friend. "What is it?"

"I wish to be a demon."

The room fell silent.

Yayuki's eyes widened at Kagome's request. A demon… Kagome wishes to become a demon? How… why… what? She was honestly speechless. She never would've guessed that of all the things that Kagome could wish for, that becoming a demon would be her choice.

It was surprising. Outstanding. Remarkable. And so many other synonyms that meant _something so shocking, that you are not even sure if you heard it correctly, or not_.

She'd call Kagome crazy for wanting to become a demon, but at the same time, she couldn't deny that it was actually reasonable. And it was _her_ wish after all. If her mind was so clearly set on becoming a demon (which she knew it was because she was sure Yuksi had something to do with this), she would give it to her — she _had_ offered to give Kagome what her heart desired the most.

And apparently it was to become a demon.

Plain and simple as that.

Not the most powerful demon, or the most graceful demon, but… a demon. That was it.

"Okay," Yayuki finally said. "I shall grant your wish, human."

"Yayuki," Hitomi immediately said after she spoke; the female turned to him as if everything were fine. "You know the dangers of a human becoming a demon." He warned.

"I know," Yayuki said as she coolly took another sip of her tea (it was helping her deal with the after-effects of tapping into her seal). "But Kagome is strong — I sense it and I know that you can, too. I am very certain that she will be able to handle the process. She _is_ a miko after all. What better type of human to become a demon than one with a strong spiritual energy that has made them tough?"

"But the responsibility," Hitomi continued. He didn't disagree with Yayuki's previous comment. He actually agreed with it; Kagome _is_ strong enough to handle the process. "If she became a demon, someone would need to teach her how to manage her demon powers, and control them. You have too many responsibilities as it is — now more than ever."

"I am sure that I can take some time away to work with her, and if I am unable to, I will simply find her a teacher." Yayuki said. She then gave Hitomi a challenging glare saying: _I dare you to try again_.

Hitomi lightly frowned at the look Yayuki gave him. She was challenging him; he could see it.

But honestly, he had nothing else to offer.

He knew that if he posed a problem to Yayuki, she would give him an answer that would sound like the simplest thing in the world. And besides those two issues he gave light to, none of the other problems that he came up with, were major.

Besides, it wasn't like it was against their clan's code to make a human a demon. In fact, they've done it before and said-person just so happens to be Yayuki's father — the clan leader.

So he knew just how strongly Yayuki felt in this situation. He could tell that she wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of her making Kagome a demon. He had to give-up; there was no other choice for him. Yayuki was as hard-headed as they came — the most stubborn demoness that he had ever met.

So he stayed quiet and gave a nod of approval.

Yayuki smiled at his subtle way of admitting defeat.

"Very well then," she finally said. "In that case, Kagome—" The human focused on her the same way Yayuki had, when she was telling the demon her wish. "Prepare yourself. You are going to become a demon."

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><p>Finally! I swear, I feel like I spoiled you guys with this chapter. It's over 17,500 words long — that's way more than any of my previous chapters for this story. But anyways, I really hope you like it. I worked so hard on it. I literally had to re-write four scenes (the last four), and two of which I took out. Now, I have to ask you all something… *clears throat* Do you forgive me for not updating for such a long time? *nervous smile* I really hope so — even though I don't think I deserve it. While I can't make any promises, I plan to update this story faster than this update took (a good two months and a day [wow, I thought it was much longer than that]). I hope that I've given you a lot to review about, and that you'll share your opinions with me so I can not only improve, but be more motivated to write this faster. So… I hope you liked and please review! And remember, next chapter, Kagome becomes a demon and I need to perfect that process. So please be patient with me. :)<p>

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	5. Your Deepest Desire?

My author's notes will now become shorter. I don't have to nag you. Anyways, I really hope you like this chapter, and the process. I've decided that I'll be updating one of my stories every two or so weeks. Hopefully, it'll work perfectly for everyone. Anyways, I hope you like the process for Kagome becoming a demon!

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha_ characters — only my own and the plot.

Reviews

Thanks to all of you who've reviewed! Although, I'm sad to say that I won't be responding to them in my stories anymore, but if you want me to answer a question you might have, or if I see several people asking me about the same thing, I'll PM you for the personal question, and answer them in the next chapter for the general questions. Okay? Thanks for understanding!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The Demonic Flower<strong>

_**Chapter 5—…Your Deepest Desire?**_

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><p>Kagome sat patiently on a wooden chair in the kitchen of the cave. She wrinkled her nose as a grotesque aroma filled the room. She looked over to where Yuksi was — standing over a pot atop a burning fire — and watched as she continued to add ingredients and stir the pot's contents.<p>

She felt a little sickly as the aroma become worse and worse with everything that Yuksi added.

Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she briefly wondered why Yuksi didn't seem to be affected by the smell. Maybe it was something that came with being a demon? If so, she really can't wait to become one. That smell was the most disgusting thing in the world.

What was Yuksi making? Why?

She wanted to open her mouth to ask, but decided to stay quiet in order to avoid inhaling the smell through her mouth and risking being able to taste it on her tongue.

That'd just be horrible.

So she sat silent and still as Yuksi continued to make whatever it was that she was making. Minutes passed and the scent actually began to lessen as Yuksi went from mixing, to just stirring and allowing it to set.

The white-haired demon then placed a lid over the small pot, before making her way to Kagome. An apologetic smile was on her face from the second she turned around.

"Forgive me about the smell," Yuksi said as she took a seat in the chair next to Kagome. "I know that it is not the most pleasant of things to smell, but it is — sadly — a required scent for the serum."

"It's okay, but… Why?" Kagome asked. Why did such a thing have to smell so horrible? I mean, she saw some of the ingredients that Yuksi had added; they were all sweet-smelling flowers that she had learned about in the past week. How could they make such a horrible smell when they're combined? She expected it to be one of the sweetest things in the world.

"While the ingredients I used smell sweet, when all combined together with the necessary liquids, the sweet scent is overwhelmed and just adds to the repulsive odor." Yuksi explained.

Kagome nodded. "What are you making it for?" Prior to asking the question, she then saw how hesitant Yuksi seemed to be. The demon had looked away from her as if what she was about to say, wouldn't appeal to the miko. Kagome racked her brain for reasons, until a look of horror formed on her face.

"No!" She screamed.

"Forgive me, Miko-san," Yuksi said. "But… it is necessary if you want to become a demon."

Kagome groaned.

Oh no — oh _gross_!

She was going to have to drink that if she wanted to become a demon. That fowl-smelling liquid that almost made her heave her lunch from that afternoon; just by the smell of it.

She didn't even want to _imagine_ the taste.

Certainly it would make her vomit. Or pass-out. She really hoped that she'd black-out that way she wouldn't have to suffer with that taste in her mouth, for very long. She also hoped that after she did, she would be given something to counter that sure-to-be-awful after-taste.

"Do I really have to drink it?" Kagome asked hesitantly. She felt like a child asking their mother if there was something else that they could do to cure their sickness; besides drinking their medicine.

"If you desire to be a demon, yes."

Kagome sighed.

She had to suck it up. She had to stop thinking about how disgusting that liquid was surely about to taste, and focus on the results — she becoming a demon.

"Yuksi," she asked. The demon gave of signal of acknowledgement. "What type of demon will I become?" She asked as she quickly changed the subject from one of the causes, to the effect.

"I am not sure," Yuksi said. "You will become the demon that you are most-fit to be."

"How is that decided?"

"It is a very spiritual process," Yuksi said. "I do not know all the details of it myself, but I do know that your soul will be judged on everything you have done, and your personality and strengths and weaknesses shall be matched-up with a type of demon — your perfect demonic self."

Kagome nodded.

She would be judged. And she will become the demon that suits her the most.

She likes it.

It means that she won't feel uncomfortable in her demonic body, and that she'll probably get used to it very quickly. Good. For a moment, she had been worried about what she would do if she became a type of demon that she had no clue about, or surely didn't like.

She would then feel as if asking to become a demon had been a mistake. She would be unhappy, and would hate herself for what she had done. She didn't want to regret becoming such a powerful and free creature.

"Will I become a full-demon, or a half-demon?" She asked. She badly wanted to know. If she became a full-demon, she would not only be the most powerful that she could get, but she would also be better than Inuyasha. But if she became a half-demon, she would be the same as Inuyasha and hopefully they would bond quite well.

She was eager to know! Full-demon? Half-demon? Which one?

"Half-demon, most likely," Yuksi said. "You are, after all, a human — and no matter what, a human cannot become a full-demon. Although…"

This caught Kagome's attention. While she was feeling very ecstatic to become a half-demon, Yuksi's sentence trailing off posted the chance of her becoming a full-demon. Was it actually possible?

"Although…?" Kagome urged.

Yuksi giggled as she saw the look of anxiety on Kagome's face. "Although, it has happened once before — a human becoming a full-demon."

"Really?" Kagome asked. She was so interested by this because not only did she have the opportunity, but it was probably the rarest thing in the world to hear about a human who had _succeeded_ in becoming a full-demon.

"Yes." Yuksi answered. "Yayuki-sama's father was the last human the clan had ever changed into a demon, and the only one to become a full-demon."

"Wow." Kagome said. She never would've guessed that Yayuki's father had been human once in his life. With the power she knew that Yayuki held, the possibility that Yayuki could have possibly been a half-demon, had never occurred in her mind.

"How did he become a full-demon?" Kagome asked. At this, Yuksi grew a slightly sad look on her face as she sighed.

"No one knows." The demon stated. "It is the greatest mystery within the clan. But some say that it was his destiny to become a full-demon, and that it is why he was able to overcome the barrier between half-demon and full-demon."

"Is he really that powerful?" Kagome asked.

Yuksi nodded.

"The strongest. No demon can defeat him."

Kagome found it amazing. A human had been powerful enough to become a full-demon by… will, and is undefeatable. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder if he could truly defeat Naraku. Yuksi did say that no demon can defeat him…

"The elixir has set," Yuksi's voice drew Kagome out of her musings. "I will get you your first dosage." Yuksi then stood and began to walk over to the pot.

Kagome's stomach curled as the lid was removed from the pot, and a smell worse than before met her nose.

She stuck out her tongue in disgust as Yuksi prepared a… bowl-full? _"Oh… gross…!"_ Kagome complained in her mind. She had hoped that it would be a small amount — then everything would've ended much, much faster.

But no. She watched with almost-frightful eyes as Yuksi used a ladle to move the elixir into a large, medium-sized wooden bowl. The demon then placed the lid back on the pot, and began to walk over to Kagome with the large bowl gently set in-between her hands.

The scent grew stronger as Yuksi got closer.

Kagome cringed as the bowl was now directly in front of her, and the smell hit her full-force.

She nearly went back on her word.

"Please drink, Miko-san," Yuksi said. "I promise that it will not affect you for long — it will be quite quick." Kagome sent Yuksi a nervous look, and was given a nervous, anxious smile in return.

Swallowing hard, the miko plugged her nose before she lifted the bowl in her hand. Luckily for her, the bowl was cool and did not burn her hand as she steadied it.

Kagome then exhaled before closing her eyes tightly, and bringing the bowl to her lips.

The liquid touched her tongue and she held back her hurl. It was more than disgusting. It was like she was tasting the rawest and oldest garbage blended into a sickly, soft drink. She had never tasted anything so foul in her lifetime. She wanted to spit it out and forget about becoming a demon.

"_No…"_ She thought as she began to drink more and more of the liquid (mentally trying not to puke). _"It's what I wished for… I… I have to do it… I want to do it…"_

She drank all of it.

As the last drop slipped down her throat and she placed the bowl on the table, Kagome felt like passing-out. Her vision was surely becoming blurry, and her senses were dulling.

Yuksi watched as Kagome's brown eyes became hazy, and the young miko begin to sway a little.

"Oh god…" Kagome muttered. She soon fell-over and Yuksi caught her before her head slammed into the bowl. The demon began to place the miko back against the chair in a more comfortable position.

"There…" She said softly once Kagome was securely on the chair. Yuksi then took the bowl over to the basket full of dirty dishes, and set it down before leaving the area all together.

She quickly and easily maneuvered herself throughout the different tunnels of the cave, until she came-upon the one area she knew her master was. She stepped in the the steam-covered room and walked directly up to Yayuki as she soaked in the smaller hot spring which held more steam.

"She has fallen asleep." Yuksi said.

Yayuki continued to comb her hair after draping some warm-water on herself. She pulled back her bangs, and moved all of her long white hair behind her back, before she looked-up at Yuksi with her ice-blue eyes.

"She has drunk the tonic?" Yayuki asked. Yuksi nodded. At this, Yayuki cringed. She had once had to drink that tonic herself (although not for the same reason as Kagome), and she knew just how awful an experience it was. But luckily, Kagome was a human so her senses weren't as heightened as a demon's — so the taste was most likely duller on her tongue.

"_Lucky…"_

"Good," Yayuki spoke. "Place her in her room until after we are all prepared. Until that time, I want you to start gathering everything, Yuksi. Inform Hitomi that we are going to depart at sundown. We have to be there within the next twenty-four hours."

"Why so rushed?" Yuksi questioned. Their home was at least a two-days' journey from the mountains, and she had never seen Yayuki so eager to return.

Normally, the heiress preferred to stay in the mountains because she was more free and comfortable there.

Why did she want to get home so early?

Yayuki groaned.

"I might as well get my punishment over with…" The long-haired demon muttered.

Yuksi giggled softly.

"I am sure your parents will lessen it once they discover your motives." She assured.

Yayuki scoffed un-ladylike.

"I know that," she said. "But the _elders_ will not. Those old hags…"

"Yayuki-sama."

"I know, I know. Forgive me." Yayuki said at Yuksi's warning tone. She grabbed a cloth next to her as she began to wash her arm. "Enough of this depressing topic. Get Kagome to her room so that she may rest safely, and do as I have told you. Once all that is done, await for Hoto by the entrance, and tell me when he has arrived."

"Hoto-san is coming?" Yuksi asked. Yayuki nodded her head as she switched arms.

"I sent for him after I heard of Kagome's wish. He should be here soon. _Prepare_." At her commanding tone, Yuksi nodded and gave a respective bow before turning to leave the area and allowing her master to bathe in peace.

Yayuki sighed as she moved her hair forward so that she could wash her neck.

Once she arrived home, she would be bombarded with a multitude of tasks to do. Insults would be thrown at her. Scrolls would be thrown at her. Problems, and even a few praises would be thrown at her.

And all of this she would have to push-back for a later time in order to make Kagome a demon as soon as possible. The process was already starting.

With the tonic, her insides were slowly changing, as well as her DNA, to that of a demon's. By the time the next day came, Kagome's body would be a vessel waiting for the soul of a demon to enter it and use it as its host.

And that's another thing.

The process of getting the proper demonic soul in there. She had two choices, and because she did not want to ruin who Kagome was, she would have to go with the more difficult, longer choice.

Quickly she recalled everything Kagome wished to be. She sighed as she thought of all the specifics that she had to make sure that she included in her transformation.

"_I will get this right…"_ She thought as she leaned back to soak in more water and breathe in more steam. _"I will make her the very demon she wants to be. I will not disappoint her — for she has not disappointed me."_

* * *

><p>.<p>

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* * *

><p>Sundown.<p>

With all the preparations finished, Yuksi continued to prepare herself for the journey home. She, like her master, had already bathed and packed-up everything. It was all now stored away and all that was left were the ones that would be taken back to the palace.

The flowers needed to sustain Kagome's body after the transformation, were ready.

The tonic was covered and stored away in proper doses.

And even a few weapons that would be given to Kagome after she became a demon, were stored away in their transportation to the palace, and awaiting to be unraveled and used.

Yuksi had finished every difficult task that Yayuki had assigned to her, before sundown.

She was even already dressed.

The kimono she wore was very long. It reached down to three inches above her ankles. There were two slits that reached from the curve of her waist a little below her waist, to the end of her dress. They allowed her to move her legs about freely in case anything happened. There was black trimming in her dress that created its border.

Around her waist was a black sash. Attached to it were leather cases that held her two favorite weapons. Of course, she had more hidden in her clothing. It was also used as a sort of belt to hold the material against her body.

The top of her kimono was short-sleeved; the sleeves were only long-enough to cover the mark of the clan that was on her right arm. A sash was across her torso in diagonal that held her sword on her back; in its personalized casing. She had to have several weapons with her in order to protect her fellow clan members when travelling.

Her white hair was held back in a bun by a special comb that Yayuki had given her. When needed, with a little bit of energy from her seal, the comb could transform into another weapon.

Her feet were clad with wooden sandals. The sandals were patted to allow maximum comfort, and were styled in a way that allowed Yuksi to walk on different terrains without having any problems.

She was all set.

Smiling softly, the female made her way out of the room. Once outside, she placed her hand on a specific part of the stone wall next to the entrance. The smooth surface began to show cracks that soon began to light up and form the shape of Yuksi's hand. Then a stone wall began to rise from the ground and cover the entrance of the room so well, that by the time it was set, it looked as if the room was never there. The stone fit perfectly within the wall.

Yuksi removed her hand and sighed. That was the last room. Once they were out of the cave, Yayuki would place a barrier over the location and make it seem as if the mountainous terrain never existed.

This place had to stay secret.

With her room locked and hidden, Yuksi then began to make her way to the meeting point. As she walked through the stone halls, she noticed that all the rooms that had once loitered the place were hidden as well. This mean that they were literally just minutes away from leaving.

She arrived at the meeting place within a minute. It was the entrance of the cave. Only, there was no passage way to walk through.

Before her was a large area in the shape of a perfect circle. There was a large rock structure that provided a sort of landing pad. Before the structure were stone steps that spiraled up a small hill.

The steps then smoothened out to the flat rock face that was positioned perfectly at the middle of the hill. On top of the rock plane was a gold and black carriage. The carriage was made of dark wood and was decorated with golden ornaments. Unlike most carriages, this one had a roof and outside out was a small open rectangle that held a seat for the driver. Attached to this box — and thus the rest of the carriage — were two incredibly large special harnesses.

And attached to them were two large animals. Two giant grey-colored wolves with wings sprouting from their backs were encased in their protective armor of gold and black. Their wings were even enchanted to be protected.

"I see you have arrived, Hoto-san." Yuksi said. Yuksi made her way up to the carriage and, sure enough, there appeared a male form behind the two grey wolves.

He had spiky black hair that was moved towards the front of his face, and covered one of his blue eyes. But none of it was off. One part of his hair was simply longer than the rest. He was dressed in a male hakama.

Instead of the usual red color of the hakama, Hoto's pants were a dark black color. It was bordered with midnight blue. There was also a midnight blue sash that went across his toned chest that held his large sword on his back. It was much larger than the sword Yuksi had on her back. But then again, Hoto had a little more experience than her when it came to weapons.

The white color of his shirt was replaced with black. The black was a special type of armor that looked like regular clothing. If anyone tried to stab and/or kill Hoto, they would be unsuccessful for several reasons; the shirt was just one of them.

The handsome demon male held the same type of shoes she had, on his feet.

Yuksi smiled softly as she walked up closer to the male.

"It is good to see you once again, Hoto-san. I hope your journey here was… pleasant…"

"It was fine, Yuksi-san," Hoto said as he moved further from the winged beasts, to go over to Yuksi. His eyes scanned her for a moment. "I see that you are prepared to leave. Although, I cannot say the same for the Masters."

Yuksi gave him a gentle smile. "I am sure that they both will arrive soon. Yayuki-sama is well-aware of the responsibilities that she has. And Hitomi-san is also aware of _his_ responsibilities." Her voice saddened the slightest bit when she thought of Hitomi's responsibilities.

"I believe that is the reason why neither of them are rushing…" Hoto said. Yuksi bit her bottom lip.

She knew that neither of the two wanted to go back to the clan. Because once they arrived, Yayuki would be bombarded with her responsibilities — and on top of them is Kagome's demon transformation.

And once Hitomi steps foot there—

"I do not care for that girl…" Hoto said. Yuksi looked at him with worried eyes. "She is a pest and has no right to—"

"Forget it, Hoto."

The male voice snapped the attention of both of the demons to its direction. There, Hitomi, prepared to leave, was leading an also-prepared Yayuki, to the carriage.

Hitomi was dressed in clothing similar to Hoto. He had all the elements — sword and armor included. Only, his hakama was full black with white boarders on the shirt. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail; giving a full view of his handsome face — which was currently giving a hint of anger and annoyance from his crystal-clear eyes.

Yayuki, on the other hand, was wearing a female hakama with the skirt. The skirt was a full white color with patterns of beautiful black flowers flowing about. They were scattered in a way that seemed as if the wind itself was blowing the flowers.

Her white hair was tied up into a bun. She used a comb that was the very same as Yuksi's; only, her comb involved two separate pieces and the weapons it transformed into were her two precious swords. Being an heiress, she had to always look and act like a lady — so she was not allowed to show weapons. But being an heiress to a _demon clan_, she needed the protection. Thus, her clan invented the combs. Her bangs were in their natural place covering up to a millimeter above her eyes.

Her ice-blue eyes were downcast towards the ground, and her hands were in the sleeves of her long-sleeved hakama. Inside the fabric, she was fiddling with the ten digits.

She never liked this topic. It made her heart ache.

"I am glad you are here, but we have to hurry and… arrive at the palace as soon as possible…" The hesitance in his voice was evident. No matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"Right…" Hoto said. "Yuksi-san, you and I will steer the wolves. Hitomi-sama, Yayuki-sama, you two will ride inside with the miko." Hoto had already known about the miko that was inside the carriage; Yayuki had given a brief description of her when she sent for him. This also included knowing about the current situation.

He knew they had no time to waste.

As soon as Hoto said what he did, Hitomi and Yayuki made their way to the carriage. Hitomi held the door open for the heiress as she stepped inside. He noticed how she no longer was looking at him…

"_**It is to be expected."**_ The demon within him said.

"_I know…"_

As soon as she was in, Hitomi went in as well. Inside the carriage were two wooden benches on opposite sides of each other. The bench facing towards the driver's seat held a sleeping Kagome leaning against the other door.

The miko was sweating profoundly. Her breathing was heavy, and the demons could sense that her aura was growing the slightest bit weaker.

Yayuki's face became stern as she took a seat beside Kagome.

"Hoto!" She called out as soon as Hitomi closed the door. A slot in front of her, and beside Hitomi (he was seated on the opposite bench facing the back of the carriage) moved and Yayuki could see Hoto's blue eyes. "With haste. Kagome-san is slowly growing weaker. We have to do the change as soon as possible." She said with a demanding tone to her voice.

"Of course, Yayuki-sama. I took extra precautions to ensure that the wolves were fueled with energy before I left. I even brought a few extra sources." He said to her.

Yayuki smiled at him. "I expected nothing less of you, Hoto. Now hurry — I do not want this girl to not live to see her greatest desire come true." Hoto nodded before closing the slot once again. Yayuki let out a nervous sigh as she felt the aura from the wolves begin to become more powerful.

"Yayuki-sama," came Yuksi's voice. "Given the state of the wolves, estimated arrival time is a normal two-day journey." The sadness and regret in her voice was the slightest bit evident.

"That will not do!" Yayuki screamed. "Kagome-san might be _dead_ by then! Speed-up our arrival time! _This is an order from your heiress!_"She would normally never use her status to get what she wanted, but this was a special case. Kagome's soul was slowly growing weaker as her body began to adapt to that of a demon's. If they didn't do something with her human soul, soon…

"Yayuki…sama…" Came Hitomi's voice. The honorific burned against his tongue. But he had to use it. "Please. Calm down. Anger is not a good quality of a heiress…" He said to her.

He watched as her blazing blue eyes turned to him; before they softened the slightest bit. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from screaming at him and letting her emotions get the best of her.

"You… are right… Hitomi…san…" She said. "I will contain my anger. Forgive me, Yuksi, Hoto." She said.

"It is understandable, Yayuki-sama." The two replied.

"I will sustain Kagome-san with my power. But please… hurry…" Her eyes downcast on the human female. Her skin was becoming flushed with her red blood. The internal battle was starting to take its toll on her.

"_But the fact that she has managed to stay alive this long…"_ A normal human would've been dead by the first hour. This just proves that Kagome is strong enough to become a demon.

"Of course, Yayuki-sama." Hoto said.

Outside the carriage, Hoto held onto the special reigns of the beasts. He moved them in a specific command and the demon wolves began to spread their wings.

Seeing this, Yuksi used her energy and directed a concentrated blast to the ground. The stone soaked it up and very soon, the platform before them began to expand as large slits of rock began to appear from the ground.

"Thank you." Hoto said.

"You are welcome." Yuksi replied.

Hoto moved the reigns in one powerful thrust and the demon wolves began to run. They started to flap their wings as they started to reach closer and closer to the end of the platform. From underneath the carriage, pieces of soft, white material that looked similar to clouds began to emerge.

The reigns of the carriage were special.

They were made so that the energy exerted from the driver not only went to the animals, but also to the carriage itself; causing a material to form underneath it that allowed it to be air-borne.

The speed of the wolves was great, and the carriage was beginning to float. With one mighty thrust of their wings, the wolves forced the carriage to turn vertical in a few seconds. The angle had been so deep that inside, Yayuki and Hitomi both fell towards the back of the carriage.

Theireyes widened as Hitomi realized that he had landed directly on top of the young heiress. Their hearts pounded in their ears as they stared into their shocked eyes; finally realizing the situation they were in.

But, all-too-soon, Hoto had the carriage at a manageable level as they were finally atop the clouds and were heading quickly towards the palace.

"You… you can get off of me, now… Hitomi-san…" Yayuki said in a soft voice. Her face was painted beautifully with a pink blush as she became all-too-aware of just how close the demon male was to her.

His chest was flush against hers. His hands were on either side of her head. His legs were on either side of her body. He had her caged within his torso. He was so close that his scent was beginning to drive her mad. She had two choices. Make him get closer, or farther. And given their relationship, she decided on the latter.

Hitomi, himself was distracted with having the female so incredibly close to him. She smelled so good. And her body against his…

Because of this, it took Hitomi a few moments to realize what she had said, before he finally nodded. "Right… forgive me… Yayuki-sama…" He said softly. He moved his body so that he was seated on the farthest corner of the other seat. This way, if he fell to the other side once again, he would miss Yayuki and instead fall into the empty space next to her.

Yayuki bit her lip as she realized just how roughly her heart was pounding. So close… He had been so close to her…

"_Forget about it, Yayuki,"_ she told yourself. _"You can't concern yourself with such… topics. You have responsibilities."_ Her eyes turned to her right where Kagome was.

That's right. She had responsibilities.

She had to turn Kagome into the demon she wished to be. That was her main concern. Not how close her best-friend had been to her…

"Yayuki-sama, we are above the cave's range." Yuki said through the slot.

"Ah! Yes. Thank you for telling me, Yuksi." Yayuki said. With this new information in mind, Yayuki opened the door closest to her. She then poked her head out and looked down at the cave systems.

"Yayuki-sama, be careful." Hitomi said. He watched with tentative eyes as Yayuki began to summon the amount of power necessary to create the barrier over the cave.

He couldn't help the sense of fear that overcame him as he watched her try to steady herself on one of the steps leading into the carriage. He feared greatly that she would fall… And that fear was recognized as soon as Yayuki had the barrier up — the mountain immediately disappearing from their view and replaced with a flat scene — and the carriage jerked; forcing her to fall forward.

He immediately jumped and grabbed her around the waist. With his firm grip tightly around her, Hitomi brought her back into the carriage and closed the door.

"Yayuki-sama? Hitomi-san? Is something the matter?" Yuksi asked.

"No, no Yuksi, everything is—" Yayuki paused as she found herself once again staring into Hitomi's eyes. Hers widened as she looked into the beautiful orbs that were currently making her heart pound harshly once again. At that moment she also realized that he had her on his lap. They were intimately close, once again.

"Yayuki-sama?" Yuksi asked once again. She was beginning to move the wood and, panicking, Yayuki placed her hand over the slot.

"Everything is fine, Yuksi," the heiress said hurriedly. "I almost had an accident, but it has been prevented. I assure you. All is well." She could sense that Yuksi did not believe her entirely, but luckily for her, the female did not question her master any further.

"Very well." Yuksi said. Yayuki removed her hand as Yuksi closed the slot once again.

After that, the female took a deep breath and removed herself from Hitomi's body.

"Forgive me… Hitomi-san…" Yayuki said, sadly. She then looked away from him; hiding her embarrassment. "I should have been more careful. Thank you for saving me and my apologies for causing you so much trouble."

"It is alright, Yayuki-sama." He wanted to reach out to her and touch her. But he restrained himself and simply leaned against the wood; as sad as she was.

* * *

><p>.<p>

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* * *

><p>The Next Day<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

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* * *

><p>"Yayuki-hime has arrived!"<p>

The palace belonging to a prosperous clan of demons was filled with energy. A scout of theirs had spotted the all-too familiar private carriage that belonged to their heiress. All about, demons were running as they informed others of the heiress' return, and made sure that nothing was out of place.

"Have you informed the leaders and her sages?" A demon asked a lower-rank.

"I have informed the leaders; they are currently headed towards the garden. As for her sages—"

"Is she finally back?"

A loud voice boomed throughout the hallway. The source of it appeared before the two conversing demons in a cool, but heated fury. The two servants were filled with fright at the sight of one of the nastiest (in attitude) demons of the clan.

She was a female demon. Instead of a regular body showing her skin and hair, her form consisted of black shadows wrapped around her. This gave her dark, black skin that only showed that she was a female through the natural curves of her body. The shadows grew considerably darker as they formed her long, black hair that seemed to be tied in a low ponytail hanging on her left shoulder.

The only purely visible feature of hers were her eyes. They were outlined by thick, swirling white markings that surrounded them completely. They formed a type of mask around her eyes that resembled something close to the wings of a butterfly. Three small black dots decorated the large wings, beautifully.

Her eyes, of course, were black as well. As dark as the shadows wrapping around her. But this didn't mean that you could not see her emotions. At the moment, they were burning with fury.

The servants froze as they noticed the powerful female. The current dark sage-in-training; a friend of the heiress.

Tami.

"Where is that little bitch?" Tami asked the servants. They were practically cowering beneath the dark, life-sucking aura that she emitted. Their silence annoyed her. "Well? Fucking answer me dammit! Where is that little bitch?"

But the servants did not answer — which only served to infuriate her even more. She was ready to practically murder them when a new voice created sound waves in the air.

"Tami, honestly, you know you are not supposed to speak about our heiress that way." The soft, gentle voice came from an orb of light. The orb of light was a soft yellow color with wisps of white surrounding it like a light fog. It resembled somewhat of a mini comet with the wisps of light forming the tail.

As it floated next to the shadow-wrapped female, it burst and the sparks of light that formed began to clump together and create the healthy shape of a female.

The female had flowing blonde hair. It was the very color of sunshine and seemed to illuminate the hallway almost instantly. The hair was tied up into two high ponytails; it was nicely curled and gracefully fell against her body. It reached down to a little (a few centimeters or so) past her knees. Her bangs framed her face nicely and held a certain bounce to them. They, too, were curved the slightest bit.

She was wearing a beautiful yellow kimono that resembled a female hakama; meaning, the skirt of her kimono was not only long, but very loose and didn't fall against her figure. The kimono was a dazzling yellow color that almost matched her hair; it was a little lighter shade of yellow, though.

The skirt of the kimono was decorated with beautiful rays of sunshine that appeared from the golden sash tied around her waist (the bow in the back keeping it nice and tight against her figure). Her shirt held the beautiful image of the sun that seemed to create those very rays. The shirt was long-sleeved, and the rays even spread there.

Her eyes were the most beautiful golden color that had ever been created. They held such a warm glow to them that it seemed as if she could melt any ice while just looking at it. She was practically the very child of the sun.

Her name was Tenako; the light sage-in-training.

The female smiled as she placed a hand on the black-wrapped female.

"You should turn-off your seal, Tami. You know that you cannot use it as you please. We are still training to no longer suffer the after-effects." She said as a voice of reason.

Tami growled.

"Do not touch me, Tenako. You know it burns."

"You are acting as if touching you like this is not hurting me. I can feel my energy being taken." Tenako removed her hand from Tami. Where it once was, a piece of the shadow covering Tami seemed to disappear and reveal the smallest hint of pale skin.

Looking at her hand, Tenako noticed how some of its perfect color seemed a little drained. Clenching and unclenching her fingers, the color soon returned as she moved her energy towards her slightly pale fingers. She and Tami were complete opposites when it came to the source of their power.

Tami sighed as she closed her eyes and the white markings around them began to flash brightly. The black around her body soon began to be sucked in by the white; simultaneously changing the white markings, black. Once the black was gone, the markings appeared as if they were a mask around her eyes. Tami then opened her dark black eyes, and the mask began to disappear beneath her skin.

Tami's true form was then revealed.

She had long black hair that was tied in a low ponytail and hanging on her left shoulder. Because her hair was so long, it was made into four loops of clumps of her hair. The loops were then all tied into the single ponytail. It was not only a way for her to move about without her hair in the way, but it also added a powerful punch (in more ways than one). Her bangs covered her left the slightest bit.

Instead of a kimono, or a female hakama, she was dressed in a male-hakama. Only, the pants weren't as bushy as they usually were; they were a little thinner. Their color was, of course, black. The bottom border wrapped nicely around her feminine legs. The same white swirls that had been around her eyes before, were the decorations of her black pants, but in a silver-grey color.

Her shirt held the same color as its border; only the borders were a darker shade of black than the shirt. It was sleeveless and revealed the mark of the clan on her right arm. Over her torso was a large leather strap. The strap was black and decorated with golden jewels. Attached to it was the holder for her weapon. Of course, what this weapons was, was kept secret. It was wrapped up in a special casing that only she could open.

Tami sighed as she frowned and looked at the servants. They seemed a little calmer now that she wasn't using her seal, but her presence was not lost on them.

"Where is she?" Tami asked once again; but in a semi-softer and slightly-calmer voice.

"Yayuki-hime is currently arriving at the garden, Tami-sama and Tenako-sama." The higher-level servant said.

"Thank you." Tenako said. "Come Tami. Let us go great Yayuki and Yuksi." With her usual bright smile on her face, Tenako began to make her way towards one of the three gardens that the palace held. Growling, Tami followed behind her with her usual scowl.

* * *

><p>"Ah, so it is true — Yayuki and Yuksi have returned."<p>

From within a bed of a beautiful arrangement of flowers, large roots began to sprout from the ground. The roots were very thick and strong and wrapped around each other tightly. The brown roots then changed to green as beautiful flowers flourished; once the structure reached a specific height. Their texture then changed into something more softer and natural — hair.

The long hair with flowers scattered about, then began to move on its own. It separated itself into two different parts, and two groups of strands tied around the separate parts creating two separate low ponytails; a flower at the top. A few strands then began to tie themselves together into different types of braids. But of course, some hair stayed loose.

With the roots gone and transformed into green hair, the female's body was shown.

She was wearing a grass-green hakama. Around the skirt of the hakama were scattered little flowers of different colors. Around her waist was a sash made of a flower. The long roots wrapped nicely around her petite waist, and the beautiful multicolored flower was the center piece.

The sleeves of her hakama were very long and held a darker shade of green as the borders. There was a design of the clan's symbol made out of roots on the fabric of her upper right breast.

The female possessed beautiful grass-green eyes that were framed by her green bangs that were split in the middle.

She was named Anisha. The earth sage-in-training.

"Yes. It is true. Yayuki has finally returned."

The voice came from a small pond. The water of the pond soon began to ripple before it started to rise. Something close to a reverse waterfall formed and parts of the water began to taint a dark blue.

The tainted water formed the shape of a female. At first the figure appeared nude, but then more swirls of water began to form the outlines of her clothing. Once clothed, the water forming the waterfall thinned before moving behind the female. Then its texture completely changed to hair.

The female was wearing a beautiful blue kimono. The kimono was long and reached down to the water. It flowed like water against her figure. There were two small slits at the side that went up to her thigh. They revealed dark blue tights underneath; with gold borders at the end of her tights.

The kimono was made of a loose material. The material was a light-blue color that was sprinkled with crystals of some sort that made it dazzle. It looked as if water was sprinkling down her dress and shined brightly off the sun.

Around her waist, of course, was a sash that held the kimono closed. The top of her kimono was very simple and made of a thicker material than her skirt. It was also short-sleeved.

The female possessed beautiful water-blue eyes, and had her bangs pulled back to show the beautiful blue jewel on her forehead. It was in the shape of a teardrop. The female's flowing blue hair was set in a nice, high ponytail that held droplets of crystals in it. It gave off the illusion of a waterfall.

She was Ano. The water sage-in-training.

"They should be arriving soon." Ano said to her female companion.

"I cannot wait to speak to Yayuki!" Anisha exclaimed. "I want to hear of how her battle with the rouge demon clan went." She stated.

"So do I. Although, I do not believe we will take to her tale. After that night, moons ago, we have not seen her until now." Ano said. She was worried to hear about the cause for Yayuki's lateness. The heiress never took more than a night to rid the area of a clan, and return; that is, when she was sent to do so. (Other times, a different skilled member of the clan would be sent to take care of the task).

"You may be correct, Ano, but I do not care if the tale is pleasant or not. I only wish to know what happened to Yayuki on that night." Anisha said.

"I agree. That is truly the most important fact. Her safety comes first."

* * *

><p>"Yuksi, are you prepared?" Yayuki asked. She opened the door next to Kagome and looked out at her faithful companion. Only, instead of being in her demon form, she was in her demonic animal form.<p>

Yuksi was now the very size and shape of a very large wolf with pristine white fur. Large white wings stuck out from each side of her body as she flapped them and made sure to keep up with the fast-moving carriage. Her tail was not only one, but five, large, puffy, soft tails that seemed to be pushing air into her wings, and allowing her to fly with more ease.

Her back legs were covered in markings. And on her right paw was the insignia of the clan imprinted into her fur. Around her furry wolf neck was her necklace with the small white orb, safely attached to it.

"Yes, Yayuki-sama." Yuksi's feminine voice sounded from within the beast.

"Yayuki-sama," Hitomi said as he watched the female get onto the ledge of the carriage. Flashbacks of what happened earlier, appearing in his mind. "Be careful. You do not want to slip and fall." Even though he tried to hide it, the tone of worry tinting his voice was still evident. He feared greatly for Yayuki's safety.

"I will be fine, Hitomi-san," Yayuki said softly. "I am not weak, nor clumsy. And, even if I do happen to fall, I trust that Yuksi will catch me."

"Of course Yayuki-sama," Yuksi said. "I will do nothing but protect both you and Miko-san."

"Good." Yayuki said. Then, Yayuki leapt from the ledge and landed perfectly on Yuksi's back. It took a few seconds for the female wolf to adjust, but she managed to do so quickly. "Now for Kagome-san." Yayuki said.

That was Hitomi's cue.

Moving around quickly and carefully, he grabbed hold of Kagome and lifted her bridal style. He had to grit his teeth slightly because of the burn he was feeling against his skin. Her miko energy was now surrounding her completely. It was so potent that it was actually burning his skin. This was a rare and difficult task to accomplish since the clan was used to feeling purified energy and it took a lot to hurt them.

And at the moment, Kagome's energy was doing just that.

Staying strong, he bit back the pain as he positioned himself a little closer to the ledge. His eyes set on Yayuki as she sat sideways on Yuksi; her hands stretched in front of her — ready to catch Kagome.

She nodded, and then he nodded. After that, he applied the correct amount of work to get Kagome over the space it took to get to Yayuki, without falling to the earth.

The demonic female caught the human and hissed slightly as her own skin began to burn. Yuksi did the same.

"We must get her to the lake, immediately." Yayuki said as she continued to hold on tightly to Kagome. She then positioned the female in a way where Kagome's legs were on either side of Yuksi's body, and her head was leaning against Yayuki's shoulder.

"But Yayuki-sama — I believed that we were headed back to the palace more quickly. Is that not why you asked me to change forms?" Yuksi asked.

"Forgive me Yuksi, but given the state that Kagome-san is in, we will not be able to arrive at the palace to do the ceremony. We must take her to the lake and do the ceremony there, on our own." Yayuki said.

"It is alright. I shall do as you say." Yuksi said. Just as she started to fly faster than the carriage, Yayuki told her to stop and head back to where Hitomi still was.

"Hitomi-san," Yayuki said as she looked directly at the male. He had not moved from his position since he threw Kagome. "Can you please deliver a message from me, to the palace?" The female asked timidly.

"Anything for you, Yayuki-sama." Hitomi said.

Yayuki smiled softly at him. "Please, tell me parents and my sages that I will return as soon as I possibly can. And if it is not too much of a bother, can you deliver the basket of flowers to the mages? I need several portions of the tonic Kagome-san drank, ready for her to continue to consume once she awakens. Also, I want a room prepared for Kagome-san, near where my residence is."

"It will be of no problem at all, Yayuki-sama." Hitomi said.

"Thank you. I will remember to award you appropriately once I return, Hitomi-san. Good-bye." After that, Yuksi began to fly faster than the other two wolves. The white wolf dipped beneath the clouds and disappeared from the sights of the carriage.

As soon as he was sure that Yayuki had left, Hitomi closed the door of the carriage and took his seat back on the bench. A frown appeared on his face almost instantly.

"Hitomi-sama," Hoto said from the opened slot. "We will arrive at the palace in the next few moments."

"I know." Hitomi said. "I can sense it."

"…Are you prepared?" Hoto asked. "Are you ready to see that girl, once again?" Hoto didn't even need to wait for Hitomi's answer, to know what the male's response would be.

"Ask me this again… when she is the one I want…"

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><p>Yayuki held on tightly onto Kagome as Yuksi speedily made her way to a nearby lake. The lake was a good distance away from the palace; so much so, that it was far enough to allow her to conduct her business in secrecy, and yet close enough to allow her to return as soon as possible, and not raise any further suspicions.<p>

She squinted her eyes as Yuksi began to descend quickly. The female wolf was aimed for the very center of the lake. As soon as they were a certain distance away from it, Yayuki activated her seal the slightest bit. Her eyes changed into a neon-purple color, and flashed, before the surface of the lake began to part.

A ripple appeared in the center, and it grew more and more as the water was pushed back to reveal a secret entrance underground. (Only accessible through the power of the seal).

The entrance was large enough to allow Yuksi to spread her wings at their full length, in order to slow down. As soon as the female touched down on the cool ground, the area became completely dark as Yayuki closed the entrance using her seal. But luckily, both of them could see in the dark, and so, Yuksi was able to easily maneuver her way through the various tunnels and head in the direction of the room where the ceremony can be conducted.

"I haven't been back here since my mother told me the story of my father," Yayuki said. "I can almost feel her immense power coursing through the earth like blood."

"I can feel it as well, Yayuki-sama," Yuksi said as she rounded a corner. "Such power."

"I hope I will be able to do this for Kagome-san," Yayuki said. "She has already done so much and more for me. I want to be able to give her what she wants. I want to grant her wish."

"You will, Yayuki-sama."

"How can you be so certain?" Yayuki slightly snapped. "You can feel the power in this area, Yuksi. And you know what it is — the amount of power necessary to change a human to a demon, on your own… To do this, I will have to tap into my seal once again."

"But the effects will be minor. Of this I am certain." Yuksi replied; trying desperately to raise the hopes of her master. "Your mother's energy will protect you."

Yayuki took in a deep breath as she looked ahead and noticed a large door up ahead. It was carved of wood, and had two large wolf heads sticking out from it. The heads looked very vicious with the muzzles opened and baring their sharp teeth. Their eyes were two small pearls that seemed to illuminate in the darkness (as odd as it may sound).

Each wolf head was on a different side of the door. The design on the wood looked like souls were engraved into it. Each soul had a specific shape, and was moving towards the center. There, at the center of the door was a bordered seam, that went around an area that held a dent in it.

Yuksi stopped as she stood three feet away from the door. Positioning Kagome in a more comfortable position against Yuksi, Yayuki got off of the female and went over to the door.

She ran her fingers across the wood. It was slightly mended with dust, but that was to be expected. This room hadn't been used for years, and no one exactly goes down there to do any cleaning.

She gulped down her nervousness as she realized that her mother had done the very thing that she was about to do. And that she succeeded perfectly.

She wanted to be like her mother…

"Yayuki-sama…?" Yuksi asked as she noticed her master's hesitance in opening the door.

"I… I'm alright, Yuksi," Yayuki said. "My thoughts just got the best of me. That's all." With that said, Yayuki reached into the shirt of her hakama. She pulled out the large orb that always hung around her neck, and held it tightly into her hand as she moved the chain, and thus the orb, closer and closer to the dent in the wood.

"_I can do this…"_ Yayuki thought. _"I can make Kagome-san a demon — all on my own…"_ It quickly became her mantra as she placed the orb in the dent.

The pearls in the eyes of the wolves then began to shine brightly as they started to realize the familiar power coming from the orb. This caused the demon souls to begin to move farther and farther away from the center of the door (as if they were afraid of its power). Once they were as far away from the orb as they could get, the seam in the door illuminated with white light; before Yayuki took out her orb, and the door split perfectly in two — opening a threshold into the ceremonial room.

The room was incredibly large.

It had a vaulted ceiling that seemed to be held up by the statues in the room. They were four statues of the same person. A beautiful woman that was quite curvaceous. She was naked, but her intimate areas were covered by wisps that formed from next to her feet, and moved around her body. The female had her hair in a bun.

This woman was the first member of the nicknamed _Pure Demon Clan_.

A miko by the name of Junsuina. She had been the first miko to every have relations with a demon, and figure out a way to turn herself into a demon, but still maintain her spiritual abilities.

It was because of her that the clan even existed.

On the wall in front of the door, there was a stone structure. The structure was two pedestals with rectangular foots and cylinder columns, connected to a single stone table. On the wall above the table, was a picture of Junsuina in her miko guard painted beautifully. Her eyes closed, and hands set in a prayer with prayer beads wrapped around them.

Surrounding her were three soul collectors. They swirled gracefully around each other, and all stopped at an area above her head. The soul collectors were pointed towards a large, white orb. One soul collector was at the right of the orb. The second on the left. And the last was behind the orb with its head pointed down.

Truly a magnificent mural. It even looked more beautiful as Yayuki stepped into room, and elegant candles that were set atop equally-elegant pedestals, began to light, in an orderly fashion.

Their glow managed to illuminate the entire room, and the mural looked even more beautiful. It simply took her breath away.

"Junsuina-sama…" Yayuki said as she looked at the person who could be considered her grandmother. She stared intently at the portrait of the woman with the beautiful purple hair tied into a bun, and wearing traditional miko clothing while being surrounded by demons.

An overwhelming sense came over her as she noticed that she was in a room that was used to turn not only turn her father, but Junsuina herself, into a demon (although, she only succeeded in becoming a half-demon).

She was, at that moment, filled with determination and nervousness. She will not fail. She will not allow herself to fail.

"Yuksi, I will take Kagome-san to the table and prepare her." Yayuki went over to Kagome and grabbed hold of the miko. Kagome's energy was going mad, and Yayuki flinched as her skin started to burn. "We must change her soon. Her soul is trying to free her body of the demon toxins."

"Have you decided on what you will do to her soul, Yayuki-sama?" Yuksi asked as she walked alongside her master with her wings tucked near her body.

"Yes. I have." Yayuki walked up the two small steps that it took to reach the stone table. She then placed Kagome against it gently; before she began to remove the kimono that Kagome had on. A lot of blood would be involved, and she needed clean clothes to transport Kagome back to the palace, in.

"What is your decision — if you do not mind me asking, Yayuki-sama." Yuksi grabbed Kagome's discarded clothes and placed them on her back. She moved them to an area where they will not interfere with the process.

"I will remove her soul, and bathe it in the essence of a demon. It will only need a few moments to get used to demon blood. And since I am the one doing the transformation, I will use my own blood." With Kagome nude as the day she was born, Yayuki then reached into the sleeves of her hakama and pulled out a white, bejeweled cloth that covered the shape of a dagger.

"But Yayuki-sama," Yuksi said as she heard what Yayuki wanted to do. "Using your blood will make Miko-san your offspring. That will only give you more responsibility."

"I don't mind," Yayuki said. "I have grown to take a liking to Kagome-san for all that she has done. If this makes her my child, then I am proud to have a child as powerful as Kagome-san."

"Now, let us begin." Yayuki said as she moved the silky fabric of the cloth, and pulled out a sterling silver dagger at its sharpest. The handle was beautifully curved and made of gold. In the center was a white jewel resembling the one around Yayuki's neck, and in the mural of Junsuina.

"Yuksi. Bite her." Nodding, the wolf bared her large fangs and then sunk them into Kagome's right arm. The pain was enough to awaken Kagome as she screamed out in agony.

"_Forgive me, Miko-san." _Yuksi thought as she continued to transfer some of her essence into Kagome.

The miko could feel her skin suffer as it was torn and what seemed to be burned. Her screams filled the room and her hazy eyes struggled to open so that she could see her attacker.

What was going on?

Why was she in so much pain?

Why was her skin burning?

Yuksi removed her teeth from Kagome's arm. Her muzzle was now covered in the miko's blood — Kagome had moved as she struggled — and some of her fur was burned as well. Kagome's miko energy was coursing throughout her entire body. Arms included. It was so pure that it managed to harm the wolf.

"Good job, Yuksi." Yayuki said. Her eyes landed on Kagome as she tried to regain her breath.

"W-wha… what's g-going—"

"Forgive me for the pain, Kagome-san." Yayuki said. Then the female plunged the dagger into Kagome's chest. The human let out an ear-splitting scream that tortured the two demons with sensitive ears. The scream only grew as Yayuki moved the dagger down from between Kagome's breasts, to her navel.

With the dagger now covered in blood, the female moved the fabric on her arm back, and began to slit her arm from her elbow, to two inches above her wrist. She hissed slightly in pain, but allowed the dagger to soak up both her and Kagome's blood before she threw the dagger at the mural. It landed on the orb surrounded by the three soul collectors.

The orb seemed to be soaking up the color of the red blood, because its white color soon began to be tinted pink. Once it was fully red, the soul collectors pictured there came alive and quickly flew into the hole in Kagome's chest.

The young miko screamed even louder at the intrusion. Tears were spilling from her eyes as she felt her entire body begin to set on fire. She felt it from her skull to the bones in her toes.

What was happening to her?

She could feel her body begin to change the slightest bit. Her mouth was now completely numb as she felt as if her teeth were being pulled-out one-by-one. Her nails (hands and feet) were bleeding profoundly; the red droplets beginning to cover the stone table. And then there was the sensation of being split in two, from the inside, out.

It hurt.

It hurt so much that she wished that death would already consume her and stop the pain. She wanted to die. She needed to die to save herself!

Seeing the changes happening to Kagome, Yayuki took the initiative. She removed her chain from her neck, and wrapped it quickly around her hands in the same fashion that Junsuina had the prayer beads.

She then placed her hands on Kagome's bloody chest and began to press her energy into her.

"I ask of you, Junsuina," Yayuki said as she continued to push down the female as if Kagome was a distressed trauma patient, and she was the doctor trying to save her life. "The mother of this clan. I, as your offspring, wish for you to grant this desire of mine. Take this human, this mortal, this miko, and make her a demon such as I am. A demon of immense power that still holds her miko abilities. Let her keep her soul. Morph it into that of a demon's. Please. I beg of you. Make her my offspring!"

As Yayuki fully activated her seal and her body began to change, the mural of Junsuina began to change as well. In the mural, the miko's eyes are closed. But, after feeling the energy of the soul collectors and hearing the words of Yayuki, Junsuina's eyes began to open.

The purple color of Yayuki's eyes began to completely take over her eyeballs as the spirit of the woman on the wall began to take-over her. Yayuki gasped as a white soul emerged from Kagome's mouth when the two's eyes connected (Kagome's eyes now simply entirely white as she was overcome with the spirit, as well), and went into her own body through her mouth.

The demon was forced to remove herself from Kagome as her body began to burn as well. Was this the same pain that her mother felt when she changed her father to a demon? Was this hot silver cutting her veins endured by the woman who gave birth to her, as well?

A scream tore from Yayuki's throat as the pain simply became too much for her to handle. She could feel her vision blackening immensely.

"Yayuki-sama!" Yuksi screamed. She ran over to Yayuki's body as the female held her throat in a tight grip. She seemed to almost be suffocating herself. Did she want to die? Was the pain really that horrendous?

"Yuksi," Yayuki choked out. Blood splattered onto the sacred floor with every word the female spoke. "Stay… away… l-look after… K-kagome-san…"

"But Yayuki-sama, you are in pain!"

"It… it is n-not-nothing—ahh!" Blood gushed from Yayuki's mouth as a red soul came out of her. At the same time, Kagome let out her own horrendous scream as the three soul collectors came from her body and spun around the soul; simultaneously turning it back to its original white color before they removed themselves, and the soul went into Kagome's body.

"Yayuki-sama!" Yuksi screamed as she immediately tried to fix Yayuki into a seated position, but momentarily stopped as her seemingly-lifeless master changed back to her regular form, and spoke.

"Yu… Yuksi…" Yayuki said weakly; with a broken voice accompanying her state.

"Yayuki-sama, what is the matter?"

In her long pause, Yayuki watched as three large flashes of light erupted from Kagome's body as her soul once again entered it. The flashes came from her mouth and eyes. They were directed towards the mouth and eyes of the mural of Junsuina — who seemed to soak it up.

The light then disappeared and as the soul collectors went back into their mural, Junsuina's eyes closed and for a brief moment, everything seemed calm.

Both female demons soon felt a spike of a pure demonic aura. Powerful.

"Get… get… Hitomi…kun…"

At the same moment, Yayuki and Kagome both passed-out. Their worlds went black as they sunk deeply into their subconscious. One the heiress to a demon clan. And the other a new demon; the offspring of that heiress.

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><p>And there it is! Kagome's painful demon transformation! I hope it was to your liking. I had written it before, and was just about to update, but as I reread it, I noticed that I didn't like it at all. So I rewrote it — and I've got to say, I love it more than the last one! So, what do you all think? I know that it was long, and that several parts didn't even involve Kagome, but things had to be introduced already so that in the next chapter, when Kagome awakens, I can get all into a description of her new demonic self as she tries to adjust to the feeling of being a demon. But what type of demon will she be, exactly? Full-demon? Or half-demon? And will she still be able to use her miko powers? All and more will be answered in the next chapter. And also happening in the next chapter, Kagome returns to her friends. So much is going to happen! Anyways, please review! And thanks to all of you who've been adding me to your favorites! Hugs and kisses to you all! :D<p>

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	6. Meeting the Leaders

Yay! New chappie! I'm so glad that this story is doing so well! I had been so very nervous when I first posted it, but now I'm confident that it'll only continue to get better and better until the end — where, after that, I'll post another _Inuyasha _fic that I came-up with while walking to my room. I know, weird, but I _love_ the idea and am eager to start work on it. Anyways, enough of my future plans, I hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha_ characters — just my own and the plot.

Thanks for the reviews! And please, keep them coming! They're very helpful.

Enjoy!

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><p><span>The Demonic Flower<span>

_**Chapter 6 — Meeting the Leaders**_

***By Chibi Star Vamp***

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><p>She awoke to the silent sound of birds chirping and the soft feel of sunshine against her skin.<p>

As her senses awakened, she managed to smell the light fragrance of flowers in the air, and delicious jasmine tea that seemed to be freshly prepared. She also smelt a hint of a grotesque aroma… a very _familiar_ grotesque aroma…

And finally, she could feel two demonic auras present — both very unfamiliar.

"Err… wha—" She turned in the comfortable bed, and the soft fragrance of lilacs grew. Her eyes soon began to flutter open as her face became more animated. With full black eyelashes gently fluttering against her cheek, she soon revealed to the world two steel-grey eyes.

"Ah," came the light and gentle gasp. "You have awakened." Her eyes adapted to the lighting, and soon landed on the source of the voice.

She was surprised to see a demon female that she did not know, in the area with her. She had soft, pale-pink colored hair that was tied back into a bun, and sparkling red eyes. She was wearing a light-green colored kimono with a white obi, and had a tray in her hand that held a beautiful white teapot with a flower design on it, and matching teacup — surely filled with the jasmine tea that she smelt.

"Good morning, Miss Kagome." The female demon said with a gentle smile as she placed the tray on a nearby table.

"Uh… hello…" Kagome said as she looked at the mysterious demon with tentative eyes. She didn't know who this woman was, where _she_ was, or what the woman was doing. But, she also didn't see the woman as a threat, although, she wasn't about to let her guard completely down.

"Did you sleep well?" The female asked.

"Um… yes…" Kagome responded.

"That is wonderful to hear. How are you feeling?" The unfamiliar demon asked as she approached Kagome. Kagome looked at her wearily as the female began to pull down the blanket, and start to help Kagome to sit-up. Kagome allowed the woman to aid her; it didn't seem like she had bad intentions.

"I'm fine… I guess… am I supposed to be in pain?" She asked. As the female sat her back on a plump pillow, Kagome watched as she seemed to be very gentle with her as she got close to her midsection.

"I am not sure. But judging by the wounds you arrived with, I suppose that perhaps you should be a little sore." The female said.

As Kagome leaned back a little against the pillow, she flinched as a wave of pain shot up her body.

"Ah!" She gently gasped.

"Miss Kagome, are you alright?" The female asked. Kagome gently placed a hand against her stomach. More pain erupted from her abdomen as she lightly grazed her hand over the area — she hissed.

"My stomach." She said.

"Hold on. I will give you your medication." The demon left Kagome's side for a few moments to go grab the cup of warm jasmine-smelling tea. She had a small plate under it as she moved it carefully to the young miko's side. "Here, Miss Kagome. Please drink this. It will help the pain in your stomach."

"Okay…" Kagome said. She gently reached for the cup with her free hand, and took a few sips of it when she brought it to her lips. She abruptly dropped the cup on the bed as the liquid went down her throat. It _burned_!

"Miss Kagome, what is the matter?" The demon exclaimed. She immediately began to remove the sheets from Kagome's body to get a closer look at what may be hurting her. "Is it the wound?" She asked as her eyes roamed Kagome's body; searching for any indication of the source of her pain.

"I… I'm not s-sure…" Kagome said as she pressed her hands around her stomach; trying to relieve the pain. But it only made it worse and her body stiffened as more pain erupted. "Gah!"

The demon servant there began to panic. She couldn't tell what was wrong with Kagome. There was no smell of blood so her wounds weren't open, and nothing had struck Kagome in the abdomen to cause her to double-over. It had to be something else. But as to what exactly it was, she wasn't sure.

"_I need to call Yayuki-hime…"_ The servant thought. _"But I cannot leave her alone…"_

"Jun!" She called out. In a matter of moments, another demon female entered the room. This new demon had dark orange hair in a short and layered bob that reached half-way down her neck, and bright yellow eyes. She was dressed in the same kimono as the pink-haired demon.

"What is it Haru?" Jun asked as she closed the fusuma **(a/n: Japanese sliding door)** behind her.

"She is hurt!" Haru said as she tried to get Kagome to sit back to relieve the pain. But it seemed that with every small amount of movement that she made, Kagome only suffered with more shockwaves of pain. "Get Yayuki-hime!" She ordered.

"Okay!" Jun said. The female demon then quickly left the room to go search for their heiress.

As Jun left, Haru continued in her task to get Kagome to lie down. "Please Miss Kagome, lie back down." She said softly. She tried pushing gently back on Kagome's shoulder, but the girl only flinched and tried to turn away from her.

"Ahh!" Kagome screamed as she twisted her waist and more pain hit her. It hurt so much. She could barely handle the feeling: fire coursing through her veins.

"Oh god… it… h-hurts…" She muttered.

"Miss Kagome please, lie down so the pressure on your abdomen will be relieved."

"No! It hurts… movement hurts…!"

Haru frowned.

What was going on? Why was she suddenly having an attack? She had been fine when she first woke-up, and now she was suddenly suffering — it made no sense.

Kagome had started hyperventilating. She took in deep and quick breaths, and was slowly rocking back and forth as she tried to end the pain. She wanted it gone so badly that she resorted to using her miko powers to try and heal herself. But when she moved the essence through her body, and to the palm of her hand touching her stomach and released it there, she screamed as the feeling of getting stabbed hit her instead.

She fell back on the bed and was clutching at the pillow and unknowingly shredding it as she desperately searched for something to hold on to.

"Miss Kagome! Miss Kagome please calm down!" Haru exclaimed; now fully panicked.

"Pain… s-so much… pain!" Kagome exclaimed.

"_Oh Jun _**please**_ get here with Yayuki-hime soon!"_ Haru desperately thought. Then, almost as if Jun had heard her thoughts, she appeared once again. Right behind her was their distressed heiress.

"Kagome-san!" Yayuki exclaimed as she ran into the room, past Jun, and quickly made her way to Kagome's side. "Haru, what happened to her?" The female leader asked.

"I am not certain, Yayuki-hime," Haru said. "She awoke and gained stomach pains. I then gave her the medication and she had only taken a small sip of the tea before the pain became harsher." Haru said as she moved away from her heiress to allow her more room.

Yayuki scanned her eyes over Kagome's pained face, before placing her hands directly over where Kagome's were.

"I see…" She gently muttered. She then closed her eyes and began to transfer some of her healing energy to Kagome. She could feel that the source of Kagome's pain was the tea inside her body — it was the wrong kind.

She frowned. _"They're so careless…"_ She thought. How could her staff be foolish enough to give Kagome the wrong type of tea in the morning — how could Haru not have been more careful? Yayuki had specifically put her in charge of tending to Kagome because she was such a trustworthy demon who had even nursed _her_ when she was younger (despite how young Haru may look), and yet she failed to live up to her expectations.

She had told Haru several times when she assigned her the task of caring for Kagome, double-check everything. And if she still feels like something's off, triple-check. Check as many times as required. And it doesn't seem like she followed through.

"_I'll speak with her and the rest of the staff, later,"_ Yayuki thought. _"Right now, I need to calm Kagome-san down."_ Haru was not fully to blame here; the ones who gave her the wrong tea were also at fault. She'd have a good, long little chat with all of them once things were better.

Finally, Kagome calmed down. Being as how the tea was a type of minor poison, Yayuki had managed to disintegrate it in Kagome's stomach, and neutralize the pain. As she did so, she could sense some of Kagome's miko energy in her stomach. It seemed like she tried to heal it — it was too bad the poison only used healing attempts to make it worse, and only a very specific amount of energy could take it down.

As Kagome's muscles relaxed and the young female took in slow and deep breaths to calm herself down — her eyes gently closed and mouth wide open — Yayuki removed herself slowly from Kagome's person and then looked at Haru and Jun.

"Jun, I want you to go to the House of the Mages and retrieve the correct medication for Kagome-san. Tell them that it is the healing potion for wounds on the abdomen, as well as the one for minor wounds around the body, and also that I would like to speak to them, later—" Yayuki momentarily paused.

"Yes Yayuki-hime." Jun said with a gentle bow as she left the room to go do what her heiress had told her.

"—now, Haru," Yayuki said. She noticed how the demon stiffened the slightest. "I have made you Kagome-san's caretaker for a _reason_. I _trust_ you and your abilities. And yet you failed to double-check the type of tea that you were giving Kagome-san…"

"My apologies, Yayuki-hime," Haru said. "I believed that it was the right now — the mages had said to me that it was."

"I see…" Yayuki said as she studied the female. The pupils in her eyes momentarily widened as she briefly checked Haru's intentions. She liked very much what she saw. "I will not reprimand you any further. I only ask that you always make sure that the remedies that you are giving Kagome-san are the correct ones. Do not give it to her if you feel that something is off — not even then. Always, always, _always_ check until you are not mistaken that it is the right one."

"Yes Yayuki-hime; my apologies for causing both you and Miss Kagome so much strife." Haru said with a gentle bow.

"I accept your apology. Just, please, do not let it happen again."

"Yes Yayuki-hime."

"Very good. Now, please do change into a bathing kimono and prepare a bath for Kagome-san. Take as long as you want to make sure that everything is _perfect_. There are a few things that I need to discuss with her, in privacy." Yayuki momentarily glanced at Kagome. She had calmed down and was looking at the scene through half-lidded eyes.

"As you wish, Yayuki-hime. But if you do not mind my asking, which spring will she be using?" Haru asked.

"The guest spring."

"I will make sure that everything is perfect." With a bow the same as Jun's, Haru departed the room to allow Kagome and Yayuki some privacy.

As soon as the fusuma closed, Yayuki let out a relieved sigh and turned towards Kagome — who was staring up at her with a bit of a tired look in her eyes. It made sense. Dealing with that amount of pain surely took away the little amount of energy that Kagome held.

"Good morning, Kagome-san," Yayuki said gently as she approached the female.

"Good morning… Yayuki..." Kagome said a little weakly.

"How are you feeling?" The heiress asked as she took a seat on the Tatami-style bed **(a/n: Google them; they're pretty nice)**. Kagome seemed a little hesitant to answer, at first. Her eyes scanned Yayuki from top-to-bottom before she finally began to compose herself on the bed, and sit-up to answer.

"Better…" Kagome said. "What… what happened to me?" The younger female asked.

Yayuki sighed. "A minor issue with your medication…" she said softly. "But don't worry, I fixed it. I've made sure that there won't be any more issues with your recovery, ever again." She stated.

"Oh… thank you…" Kagome said.

"So how is your recovery going?" Yayuki immediately asked. "Do you feel sick… tired… nauseous, or anything at all that is unpleasant?"

"No, not at all," Kagome said. "But I do feel a little… _strange_."

"That's because you feel a little foreign in your new body," Yayuki said. "It happens. Your soul is still not completely comfortable in it because it's been inside a human body for such a long time."

"How long will the feeling last?" Kagome asked. She didn't exactly like feeling out-of-place in her own body. It made her feel like a stranger to herself.

"It should wear-off soon…" Yayuki said. Her eyes briefly glanced at the teacup that was still on Kagome's bed. She reached over and grasped it before standing and walking over to the tray where the teapot still was. She really should've had Jun take that with her when she left.

"Yayuki," Kagome said after she briefly studied herself, and glanced down at her bandage-woven hands. "Why are my hands completely covered?" She stared down at her white-wrapped hands. It scared her that she had them on. What had happened to her body since she was asleep? Why was she wearing so many bandages?

It frightened her even more when she raised the long sleeves of her kimono, and found that not only were her hands wrapped, but also her arms.

"_Why am I covered in bandages?"_ She nervously thought.

"Your demon transformation caused several scars to form on your body, Kagome-san. My healing staff has applied ointment to your entire body — except certain areas — and wrapped you in bandages were specifically made to heal your body faster. There is no reason to be frightened Kagome-san." Yayuki said. But Kagome hadn't fully paid attention.

"My _entire body_?" Kagome repeated. Normally Yayuki would be annoyed that someone hadn't been paying attention to her when she spoke, but she found herself intrigued with Kagome's reaction; a smile already pulling on her face.

She watched silently as Kagome pulled the sheets further from her body and looked down at her sock-covered feet. She then pulled the socks down and revealed that they were fully-bandaged. Her steel eyes went wide.

"Oh… my god…" Kagome said. "How long am I gonna stay like this?" She asked as she looked at the heiress.

"You should be healed by tonight or tomorrow morning." Yayuki said. "Your bandages will be changed before you go to sleep tonight, Kagome-san. If your body is healed by then, then you will not wear the bandages again."

"Okay…" Kagome said softly. She was still a little worried about her body, but if the bandages were there to help heal her, then she guessed she could tolerate the bandages and not put too much mind into it. After all, she knew that she could trust Yayuki; now more than ever considering how she knew that the female would be watching over her since she is now a demon.

"So…" Kagome said after the long pause (time that she used to calm herself down and sort through her thoughts). "What type of demon am I?" Yayuki couldn't help the smile that formed on her face at Kagome's question. It amazed her that Kagome's mood switched so suddenly. But she didn't answer immediately. She let the silence carry-on for a few more seconds, as she tinkered with the teacup.

Then, after about three whole minutes (the three most unnerving minutes of Kagome's life), Yayuki finally answered.

"You, Kagome-san…" Yayuki said as she gently raised her head. She locked her eyes fully on Kagome's so that she would not miss her reaction; she had a feeling it would be entertaining. "Are now a Wolf Demon." Kagome's eyes widened.

"A Wolf Demon?" She asked. She was really surprised that she had been chosen to become a Wolf Demon; she honestly had expected something else… "Really?" Yayuki nodded.

"There is no doubt about it. Your new appearance and scent match those of a Wolf Demon. But… that is not all…" Kagome kept her attention focused on the white-haired female; her curiosity rising. There was more?

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

Yayuki's smile widened. "Ah… I wish I could tell you now — but you have much to do, Kagome-san."

"Huh?" Kagome asked; her expression falling at the words.

"Now that you are a demon, there are several things that must be done in order for you to be made an official member of my clan; several — nearly all — of these things include your participation." Yayuki said.

"So… I'm gonna become a part of your clan?" Kagome asked. She hadn't expected being made a member of Yayuki's clan. She thought that Yayuki would just watch over her.

"Correct," Yayuki said. "Now please stand. Haru is most likely waiting for you in the bathhouse. You must get refreshed and eat a nourishing meal before we can even _start_ doing what we must." The heiress stated.

Kagome nodded her head and began to move herself on the bed. Now that her stomach no longer hurt, it was quite easy to twist her body so that her legs were touching the floor. Next to her feet were a pair of sandals and Kagome slipped them on (pulling up her socks in the process); surprised at how comfortable the wooden footwear felt.

"Do you need help moving?" Yayuki asked. Kagome shook her head as she stood from the bed, all by herself, with great ease.

"No… it seems like I can move on my own." Taking her first step, Kagome was glad to see that she didn't trip and fall from the sandals, and that her legs were strong enough to hold her body weight.

She had expected to fall right down. She assumed that her legs would be weak after she became a demon, but she was pleasantly surprised to find that she felt better than ever.

After taking her first few steps, Kagome found that she could walk normally. Giving Yayuki a nod, the two then left the room and began to walk down the halls of the palace. Kagome marveled at the exquisite designs that the halls had, and how the place looked a lot better than some of the expensive houses that she had seen in her time.

Around her passed several demons; all of various colors, and wearing different styles of clothing. But she noticed how a few wore the same clothing. She assumed that it was their uniform, and that they worked together (although she found it a little odd that they were separated).

Yayuki turned a corner and guided her down a hallway for a short distance, before pushing a door that was there, open. Behind the grand, dark wooden door, the color scheme changed entirely. It went from reds and browns and burgundies with strips of gold, to softer blues and tans and greens. The new colors reminded her vaguely of a beach.

While to her right was a wall, on her left was a long wooden railing with large columns touching the roof after every eight-pole section; that separated them from a very large building surrounded by beautiful flowers.

"This is the bathhouse section of the palace." Yayuki said as they began to walk down a small flight of stairs containing only four steps. They then headed towards a door on the side of the building. "Here in the palace, there are three main bathing areas: one for the leaders and their associates, one for the guests, and one for the staff. You, Kagome-san, will be bathing in the guest section since you are not yet an official member of the clan." She informed.

They entered the house and stood on the ground floor. In front of them was another fence (but without the large columns), on an elevated platform. Leading down the platform was a small flight of stairs. They ascended them quickly.

Atop the platform, a little further away from the staircase were three separate passageways with different-colored cloths covering them. The passageway on the right was covered by a velvet-red cloth and held a white sign with the kanji for _leaders_. The second passageway was covered by a green cloth and held a white sign with _guests_ written on it. And the final passage way held a yellow cloth and had _staff_ written on its white sign.

"I'm assuming that a lot of people live and come here." Kagome said as Yayuki began to lead her to the second passageway.

"You have only been in two of the several buildings that make the palace. And they are only used for living requirements. When it comes down to business and training, the buildings are much, much larger." Yayuki informed.

They went past the green cloth and Kagome found herself staring at a medium-sized, square-shaped room that held a large tub in the middle of the room. It took up a good portion of the limited space inside. There were rectangle-shaped wooden planks attached to the sides of the tub; holding buckets and towels and what Kagome assumed were oils.

"This is where someone washes themselves before entering the springs in the back." Yayuki said as she briefly gestured to the tub and then a passageway that was farthest from them, covered in a white cloth with _spring_ written on it. "I will help you take-off your clothing before you enter the tub."

Kagome nodded. Yayuki then led her to the wall at their left where there were a series of change rooms. They were each made of two large rectangle-shaped planks of wood that were connected to the wall and floor, with a cream-colored cloth covering the area to two inches above the floor. There were a total of three, and were very large.

Kagome stepped inside the first one and found that the area was quite comfortable. There was a small bench against the wall, but no mirrors like there had been in the room back at the mountains. Painted on the wall was a weird symbol of two crescent moons back to back. In the center of the space between the tips of the moon on the left, was an orb. She wondered what the symbol meant. And she wanted to ask Yayuki, but the female stopped her before she could start to speak.

"Please turn around Kagome-san." Yayuki said. Kagome did as such, and Yayuki then began to untie the obi that was around Kagome's waist.

"Yayuki," Kagome started. "What's that symbol mean?" She asked.

"It's the clan symbol." Yayuki said.

"What does it mean?" Kagome asked.

"Sadly, I cannot tell you until you become an official member of the clan. The story behind the clan symbol is one of the things we pride ourselves on, and keep incredibly secret. Only clan members are allowed to know about it." Yayuki said sternly and yet softly; her eyes focused on the obi.

"Oh, I see…" Kagome said softly; a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to learn of the story, now — but a bit more eager at becoming an official member of the clan.

"So," she started after a few moments of silence. "What is it that I'll be doing, today?" Kagome asked as she felt the tug and pull around her waist. It seemed like Yayuki was having a tough time with the clothing — she could even pick up the soft grumbles of agitation that the girl formed.

Kagome was going to ask Yayuki if she needed any help, but finally, it began to loosen and Yayuki uncurled the sash from around Kagome's body, and then rolled it up and gently set it down on the bench next to them; the kimono now open.

"I'm sorry Kagome-san. What was it that you asked?" Yayuki stated as she went to grab the material on Kagome's shoulders, and pull the kimono down; revealing the undergarments beneath.

"I asked what I'll be doing today." Kagome said as she shifted out of the kimono. She couldn't help herself as she looked down at her body and studied it. Despite taking off her kimono, Kagome discovered that there was a white cotton robe underneath. And as she pulled back the neckline of the robe a little, she saw that there was more white fabric beneath that.

"_Why so many clothes? And how did they get this on me while I was asleep?"_ She was greatly confused.

"Ah…" Yayuki gently said as she started to fold the large female kimono. "First, you will meet and greet the other heads of the clan: my parents and the elders." Yayuki said. She placed the kimono on the bench and then began to untie the sash around Kagome's waist so she could start removing the two layers of clothing on her torso. "And there is no doubt in my mind that they will ask you to showcase your abilities to them."

"Why?" Kagome asked. With the belt off, Yayuki then removed the robe from Kagome's body, and the miko looked down to notice that she was wearing a shirt and skirt. Why so many clothes? That wasn't how she had been dressed back at the mountains.

"To test your abilities and see if you are worthy-enough to become a member of the clan." Yayuki said as she put down the clothing, and went to removing the final layer.

"I see…" Kagome said. "Will they make me do something difficult?" She asked; a small pang of nervousness was beginning to grow deep inside her stomach. She wasn't sure how she felt about having her abilities tested.

(She didn't think they were good-enough to let her become a member of the clan. And that worried her greatly).

"Most likely." Yayuki said as she began to remove the last layer of Kagome's clothing. Once she had the shirt off, it revealed the bandages covering all of Kagome's midsection. "But don't worry; it'll probably involve you showing how good you are with the bow and arrow, or your healing abilities. I assure you that they won't make you do something that you have no experience in." She said as she began to fold the shirt.

With the shirt folded, Yayuki then went to take the skirt off of Kagome. She had Kagome pull it down before she bent her knees and got it, and then as she started to fold it, she asked Kagome to take off the socks. The miko began doing as such.

"So… I have nothing to worry about…?" Kagome nervously asked as she took off the first sock.

"Not entirely." Yayuki said; grasping the socks and quickly folding them and placing them on top of the pile of clothing on the bench. Kagome was going to ask just what it was that the female meant by that, but then Yayuki said, "I will be right back Kagome-san. I'm going to fetch you a towel to wrap yourself in." And with that, she departed the room; making sure that the cloth covered Kagome as she moved it aside to exit.

Kagome sighed and sat down on a clear spot on the bench. She let out a deep breath as she tried to calm down her now-frazzled nerves.

What was she going to do? What were the heads of the clan going to make her do?

It scared her.

She didn't have the slightest clue as to what they would ask of her. For all she knew, they could ask her to slaughter ten or so demons with a single bow and arrow. Or heal an entire army of their fallen comrades before the sun went down.

Those tasks could not be easily accomplished; even by the strongest of mikos. She still had very little training. And despite the progress she's made, she doubts that it's enough.

"_Oh god, what if I don't pass their test? What will they do to me?"_ Horrid ideas popped in her head at her thought.

None of the results were in her favor.

* * *

><p>Kagome's Room — After the Bath<p>

* * *

><p>She was back in her room.<p>

When Yayuki had come back with the towel, Kagome wrapped herself in it before leaving the changing room. She then spotted the demon that she saw in her room that morning; the demon female with pink hair and red eyes, and a new demon female that she did not recognize; with dark orange hair and yellow eyes.

Yayuki had left her in the care of the two after giving them some very strict instructions that she whispered to them; Kagome was not able to pick-up a single word that she had said (not even with her new, heightened demonic hearing). After the heiress left, the two washed her gently in the tub (not removing her bandages though) and then gave her a full-blown scrubbing down in the spring.

(She had learned, in the process, that her bandages actually absorbed the substances put on it, and transferred them to her skin. She also learned that they were very quick-drying).

Now she stood on a wooden platform (a large block wide enough to allow her to stabilize herself on top of it), while the female demons, Haru and Jun, went to work putting her in a beautiful kimono.

She felt a little better about what was to come when she noticed what she would meet the heads of the clan, in. They had grabbed the kimono from a wooden wardrobe that held two large double doors at the top, and then two long drawers beneath them. Among the dozen or so kimonos that were hung (she was surprised to see that she was given so many), and after a minor debate, the females had chosen for her a light green kimono with long sleeves, and a leaf pattern up to the light blue obi. It was very beautiful, and she was certain that it was specifically chosen to please the leaders.

Now with her kimono chosen and hung on the knob of the wardrobe, the two females began to dress her in it.

First Jun began to place white tabi socks on Kagome. It was a little hard to stabilize herself on the platform while the socks were slipping over her bandaged feet, and she couldn't help it when she grabbed onto Jun's shoulders when she was seconds away from slipping and falling down on the floor.

"Sorry!" Kagome exclaimed when the female finished slipping on both socks and looked up at her; a light blush on her face.

"It is alright Miss Kagome; it would have been dreadful if you had fallen and hurt yourself." Jun said with a smile on her face. Kagome couldn't help herself as she smiled as well. She was a very kind demon.

After the socks were fixed on her feet and pulled up as high as they could go, they then began to dress Kagome in the first layer of underwear for the kimono. It consisted of a white cotton shirt and skirt. Haru handed Jun the white cotton skirt. This time, Haru pushed lightly on Kagome's back while Jun began to place the skirt on her, so that the miko wouldn't fall. After the skirt was on and Jun began to secure it around Kagome's waist, she then slipped the shirt onto Kagome's body and began to tie it.

Once the first layer of clothes was on, the two momentarily left Kagome to grab the second layer. It was a thin, cotton robe. Haru helped Kagome slip it on, and then they wrapped the robe around her and began to tie it with the white sash it came with.

With the two layers now on, they then began to put the actual kimono on Kagome.

Haru went and grabbed it from the hanger. Then she and Jun started placing it on the miko's body. With her hands in the long sleeves and the kimono fabric on her shoulders, Kagome watched as they fixed the minor parts of it (the collar and bunching fabric and pulling it down to her knees) before they started to close it.

Jun held the kimono tightly in place while Haru went to tie three belts on her — changing who would tie them — before finally beginning to work on tying the thick obi around Kagome's waist. Kagome could feel the kimono tighten against her skin as Haru skillfully knotted the difficult-to-work-with obi.

She was tying the obi in a way that not only held the fabric of the kimono nicely against Kagome's body, but the bow it created was beautiful; looped fabric hung over where the obi was knotted, and some fabric came out from the side — a traditional _fukura suzume__obi_.

"There." Haru said as she finished fixing the obi, while Jun finished threading in the accessories. "Do you like the fit Miss Kagome?" The female asked as she moved to work on the front of the kimono to make sure that it was perfect; while Jun left Kagome's side to go find the proper shoes for her to wear for that afternoon.

"Yes," Kagome said. "Very much." Even though she couldn't see herself, she felt like an ancient princess in that kimono. She loved it, and felt a little more confident in it. It was very different from how she was dressed in a kimono back at the mountain; but that didn't mean that she didn't like it as much.

"It is too tight on your abdomen?" To emphasize her point, Haru added light pressure to where all the main pieces were tied, as she continued to fix the fabric around it.

"Not at all," Kagome said. "It's really comfortable. I like it." Kagome noticed how Haru's red eyes shined at her words.

"I am very glad that you do."

"I have her zori." Jun said as she closed the bottom drawer of Kagome's wooden wardrobe, and turned around to show a pair of curved shoes in her hands. Giving them a one-over, they vaguely reminded Kagome of short heels back in her time period.

The shoes were a glistening blue-green color and had slightly rounded corners. They had flat soles and had a strap in the shape of a _y_ that reminded her of flip flops. They also had a short heel in the back, and were so pretty. But she was a little nervous about wearing them. The shoes looked really smooth and slippery. She wondered if she would even be able to walk in them wearing the smooth socks.

"Here Miss Kagome," Jun said as she placed the shoes in front of the pedestal, and aligned them with Kagome's feet. "Place your feet in these. I will help you." With her words, Jun held out her hands for Kagome. The miko gently grabbed them and slowly got down from the platform and placed her clothed feet in the right shoe (surprised and happy to see that it slid in easily, and that the shoe fit), before doing the same to the left shoe.

She liked how the shoes slightly elevated her foot, and how they reminded her of her school shoes. As she started to slowly walk in them with Jun guiding her to a dresser that held various bowls on them, she was ecstatic to have her fears of falling wiped away; she could walk in them very easily.

She sat down on a short, padded stool; Jun releasing her hand as soon as her butt was plotted on the red seat. Then, Haru and Jun were on her.

While Haru went to work on fixing Kagome's slightly-messy hair, Jun took on the task of preparing Kagome's face.

"Please close your eyes Miss Kagome." Jun said. Kagome did as such and Jun then dipped a cloth in her hand inside a small white bowl with a flower pattern, in her other hand, that held clear liquid in it. She then began to rub it on Kagome's face.

She scrubbed the liquid in well; before switching the side of the cloth that she was using, and dabbing away the excess liquid. She then placed that white bowl down on the dresser, and grabbed a matching one next to it. The liquid inside was a slight tan color. She used a small brush with flat bristles to apply the liquid under Kagome's eyebrows; stopping above her eyes. She made sure that she didn't use too much, or too little.

After lightly dabbing a cloth against it to make sure that the liquid wasn't too heavy, Jun picked-up a third white bowl. This one held a powder inside of it. She grabbed a powder puff and placed the puff in the powder a few times. Then she tapped in on the rim of the bowl to release some of the powder; before beginning to gently apply it to Kagome's face.

The powder wasn't very heavy, so it didn't make Kagome's face all-white like it would normally have been. Instead, it gave her a flawless look on her face, and even seemed to match her demon skin naturally.

Finally, she finished the light dusting of powder on Kagome's face, and placed the puff back in the bowl and set the bowl back on the dresser. She then grabbed a final, matching white bowl. It was full of a pinkish-red liquid and with a brush inside of it. Unlike its predecessor, the hairs on this brush were a little longer.

Jun carefully pulled out the brush and ran it alongside the inside of the bowl to get rid of any extra fluids; before placing the brush against Kagome's lips.

As she colored the miko's lips, it made them a little darker than they were before. They weren't full-on-red, or as pink as they had been. Kagome's lips were now a light cherry red color; it made them seem plumper.

After she was finished applying the makeup, Jun placed the bowl away. "You may open your eyes now, Miss Kagome." She said. Kagome did so and Jun couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she looked at just how lovely Kagome's face looked with the makeup on.

The powder made her skin look flawless. The red color of her lips made them stand out the most, and made Kagome's face look a little more rounder. The makeup also made Kagome's eyes look bigger and very lovely.

"You look beautiful." The demon said. A pretty pink blush appeared on Kagome's face. Due to the powder, it seemed like it had been perfectly sprayed on.

"Finally," Haru said. "I am done with your hair, Miss Kagome." She said as she gently adjusted the dark green flower with small white spots on it, that she had placed on the left side of Kagome's head. The pink-haired demon then went to look at Kagome from where Jun stood.

"Oh my…" Haru said; her eyes wide with wonder. "You look exquisite." The blush only grew.

"Thank you…" Kagome said softly.

"Would you like to see yourself Miss Kagome?" Jun asked. Immediately Kagome shook her head; disturbing her hair the slightest bit.

"No thank you."

"Well, in that case," Haru said as she began to fix the parts of her hair that Kagome had messed-up. "Let us go to the Tatami House where Yayuki-hime and the leaders are waiting. Come now please, Miss Kagome."

Kagome gently nodded her head (she didn't want to mess-up her hair again) and stood from the stool. Then she began to follow Haru and Jun as they escorted her to the Tatami House.

As they walked, Kagome not only noticed the architecture once again, but also the fact that something white was covering her right eye ad lightly brushing against her cheek. She looked at it closely, and, judging by the way that it bounced naturally in the wind, decided that it was a feather of some sort. The only odd thing about it was that it had no stem.

"_Maybe it's a different type of feather? Or a decoration I've never seen before?"_ That just had to be it.

* * *

><p>The Tatami House<p>

* * *

><p>"There you are." Yayuki said as she spotted Kagome walking down the pebble-stone path with Jun and Haru as her guides.<p>

"Yayuki-hime," Jun and Haru said at the same time as they gave her a gentle bow. Then they both stood, but Haru was the one to speak. "We have prepared Miss Kagome as you have asked." The two maidens then moved aside to allow Yayuki a better look at Kagome. The heiress scanned her eyes over Kagome.

"I am pleased." Yayuki said. Then her stoic face became gentler. "You look very beautiful, Kagome-san." The demon said.

"Thank you, Yayuki," Kagome said. (Although she had no clue what she even looked like what with her transformation and the makeup). "You look very pretty as well." The miko stated.

Yayuki had changed from her clothing that morning.

She now wore a bright red kimono whose collar was a wide v-shape that revealed the covering underneath, and held sleeves longer than those that Kagome had. The kimono was also decorated with a complicated design of flowers and long strands of grass on it that went up to the bright yellow obi.

Yayuki wore makeup on her face, and Kagome wondered if she was wearing the same kind (she knew that Jun was putting makeup on her face when her lips were being painted). Yayuki's face was whiter than it would normally be, but not as white as the women in the paintings of old Japan, that Kagome had seen. Yayuki also wore bright red lipstick that helped her ice-blue eyes to stand out; although, her bottom lip was a little darker than her top lip.

The heiress' hair was styled up into a tight bun and there was something similar to a comb placed in front of the large sphere. Finally, Yayuki wore dark red shoes that looked very similar to the ones Kagome had on — except in color and design.

"Thank you," the female politely responded. "Haru, Jun, you two have done well. You may now leave; I will call upon you when necessary."

"Yes Yayuki-hime." Both said with another bow. Then they silently left the premises and disappeared behind a fusuma.

Yayuki's sigh brought Kagome's attention back to her.

"Okay Kagome-san, listen," Yayuki said. "Behind this fusuma are the heads of the clan — my parents and the elders. You will be having a light breakfast and conversing with them; before we head to the training area of the palace, and you show your skills with the bow and arrow."

"Remember: you are trying to show them that you will be the perfect new addition to the clan. Highlight all of your strong points; especially your miko abilities. I guarantee you that they will take to that feature the most."

"Okay." Kagome said.

"Now then, before we go in, I must ask you: do you have a surname Kagome-san?" Yayuki asked. Kagome wasn't sure why Yayuki was asking her this, but she nodded.

"Yes. It's Higurashi." Kagome responded.

"Thank you for telling me. Now, take in a deep breath and follow me." Kagome did just as Yayuki said. And after calming her nerves the slightest with that breath, she then followed the demonic heiress as she slid the fusuma and revealed a set of people inside.

Kagome followed Yayuki as she closed the door, and led her to a table where all of the people were seated on cushions placed on the floor. The table was rectangle-shaped and she and Yayuki sat at on the long side opposite of the four people that were seated there.

With her knees beneath her and her hips resting on her ankles, Kagome sat with her hands on her lap; she sat silently as Yayuki spoke.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, Tenshi-sama, Akuma-sama, I would like to introduce to you, Higurashi Kagome-san." She gently said.

"Hello Higurashi-san," said an older woman. Looking at her, Kagome found her to be one of the most beautiful demons that she had ever laid her eyes on.

The older woman had gorgeous gold-colored hair. It was styled up in a very intricate bun made of several other buns, and was tied together by a beautiful purple ribbon that held flowers on it. The woman also had golden bangs. They framed her face nicely and even seemed to illuminate it. Two slightly curved ears poked out from the golden tresses, and she wore very light makeup on her face; only a soft powder and red lipstick.

The color of the ribbon matched perfectly with that of her purple kimono. The kimono had sleeves shorter than those that she and Yayuki wore. While the neckline was a bit deeper, the difference wasn't by much.

And unlike her kimono, the pattern that it held wasn't very extravagant. It was a bit simpler with black bird shadows taking flight.

"I am Onagi Yamuhira; Yayuki's mother." The woman, Yamuhira, said.

Kagome was a bit overwhelmed to learn that this woman was Yayuki's mother (she couldn't see the resemblance), but she quickly recovered. "Hello Mrs. Onagi—" (was it okay for her to address the woman as such?) "—it's very nice to meet you."

"The same…" Yamuhira responded with a gentle smile on her pretty face; although she was confused by the way Kagome had referred to her. "This is my husband, Ikoroku." Yamuhira gestured towards the man sitting on the other side of the pair of girls.

Kagome noticed how he had dark red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He had a square jaw and masculine face that held dark purple eyes that reminded her of the eyes she saw Yayuki have the first time they met, and only until recently, changed. In the band tying his ponytail was a large ornament in the shape of a small uchiwa fan. The pole of the fan was in the band holding his hair together, while the fan itself depicted a picture of a lunar eclipse; a large black circle with white outlining parts of it. Because his hair was pulled back, Kagome was easily able to see his pointed ears.

The demon male, Ikoroku, was dressed in a simple yukata. It was a dark blue color with a black-colored belt and prints of silver feathers scattered about the bottom, up to the belt. He looked powerful and handsome; she could _tell_ that he was the leader of the clan.

"Hello Higurashi-san." He said in a deep masculine voice; flashing a small smile at her. Kagome caught a glimpse of his sharp canines.

"Hello Mr. Onagi," Kagome said with her own smile plastered on her face. "It's a real honor to finally meet you."

"Likewise…" He responded.

"And finally, Kagome-san please meet the elders of the clan, Tenshi-sama and Akuma-sama; the children of the origin of the clan." Kagome held back the mild shock she felt when Yamuhira introduced the two little girls sitting between her and Ikoroku, as the _elders_ of the clan.

She wasn't quite sure what she had expected when Yayuki told her that she would meet and greet the elders, but she knew that she hadn't expected them to look so… _young_.

The one that Yamuhira had introduced as Tenshi was an adorable soft-blonde-haired girl. She had light blonde hair that was pulled back into two buns on her head. Surrounding the buns were cherry blossom flowers as they gave the illusion that it was the flowers themselves that were holding her hair in place.

In front of the two buns was a pair of glistening white horns. The horns curled into a full circle once and rested gently against the female's head. Beneath them were two long, pointed ears aimed towards the back of her head; that ended halfway towards where her buns were placed. In front of the ears and slightly covering them were strands of her soft-blonde hair. The strands shined nicely and curled gently as they went down to a little before her obi.

The kimono Tenshi was wearing was all-white. It was a white color as pure as snow. Beneath the white obi were prints of silver, glittering flowers that decorated the bottom nicely. The kimono had a neckline fairly deep (almost as deep as her own) and the sleeves of her kimono were very long.

Tenshi gave Kagome a gentle smile and her shimmering green eyes sparkled as her pretty little pink lips pulled back the slightest bit; her emotion clearly shown on her chubby, childlike face.

"Hello Higurashi-chan," Tenshi said as she kindly greeted Kagome.

"Hello… Tenshi-sama…" Kagome said as she quickly remembered how Yamuhira had referred to the little girl. (She found it odd how she was calling her a leader; she looked so _young_!).

The second and last elder, Akuma, did not look much different than Tenshi when it came to age.

Akuma had dark purple hair that almost looked like black hair that was just tinted purple. Her hair was pulled back into a single bun, and like her fellow elder, she had flowers decorating the band that held her hair together; only her flowers were a dark-red color and not soft pink.

She also had horns. Her horns were very similar to bull horns. Only, they were pointed straight forward, had a slight curvy shape to them, and were a sleek black color. The horns, while sharp, were not very large. They were held near her head, and stretched to where her hairline was; maybe even a little further back? Near her horns were her sharp ears that were the same as Tenshi's — they even reached halfway to her bun.

Akuma was wearing an all-black kimono. And also similar to Tenshi, the sleeves were long, the neckline was deep, and there were glittery silver flower prints scattered about the bottom beneath the obi.

And finally, she had the same green eyes as Tenshi; eyes that were narrowed the slightest in a way that made Kagome lightly shiver.

"Higurashi-san." Akuma said in acknowledgement.

"Akuma-sama…" Kagome said softly. She didn't like the way Akuma was staring at her — as if nothing but bad intentions were leaking in her sparkling green eyes (they contrasted with not only her pale skin, but what also seemed to be her personality).

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, Tenshi-sama, Akuma-sama, Kagome-san has been the one aiding me in the past few moons that I have been away." Yayuki said after the awkward exchange.

"I see…" Ikoroku said as he looked at his daughter; then his gaze switched to Kagome. "And please, do tell us Higurashi-san, what exactly have you been aiding Yayuki in?" He asked. "Surely it must be quite a remarkable task if she has brought you back here to meet us."

"Well…" Kagome started softly. She felt a little self-conscious with all the demons around. But at the same time, she was a demon herself now, wasn't she? Why should she be afraid of her own kind? She briefly took in a deep breath to calm her nerves before opening her mouth to speak. "I helped Yayuki heal a… friend of hers." (What was she supposed to call Hitomi to Yayuki? How was she going to explain what had happened? Yuksi had told her that the events were supposed to be kept secret — did the rule still apply?).

"_Oh god…"_ She was very nervous. She honestly couldn't see herself getting through the meeting without it being awkward in one way or another. _"Please let me survive this."_

"Really, who?" Yamuhira asked.

"Uh… well… it was—"

"Kagome-san helped me aid Itorashi-san," Yayuki said as she cut-in on the conversation. Noticing the looks that her parents and the elders sent her, Yayuki quickly added: "He had been greatly wounded and I needed someone with much experience to heal his body. When I first saw Kagome-san and her power, I knew she would be _perfect_ for the task." She made sure to hide her emotions in front of her parents. She couldn't let them see how she had truly felt about the situation; that's why she remained stoic and proper.

"And how did you manage to heal him Higurashi-san?" Yamuhira asked. "I am very curious. I spotted Itorashi-san today, and he looks as he always has."

She assumed _Itorashi-san_ was Hitomi. "Well… it was a very long process." Kagome stated.

"We do not mind. We have a few moments until the food arrives." Ikoroku said. Kagome took in a deep breath before collecting her jumbling thoughts, and speaking.

"If you insist… first, I looked at all his wounds. The worst one was on his abdomen; it was a very deep gash that was still bleeding like it was fresh. I didn't immediately begin to heal it, though. I knew that I had to somehow cut-off his blood flow before even _trying_ to heal it. So when Yayuki asked if there was any way she could help, I sent her to get a special flower that I then turned into a liquid that stopped the blood flow of the person it was used on, wherever it was applied."

She continued on with telling them of how she had healed Hitomi. They were all quiet and listened with interest as Kagome told them the story from start to finish — as quickly as she could without leaving out key details, and smothering certain details.

She remembered what Yayuki had told her before they entered the room: highlight her miko abilities. And she did just that. As it got the parts were she healed the minor wounds with some of her miko energy, she made sure to go into minor detail about how she had concentrated it enough to heal a demon and not hurt it in any way.

The looks on their faces showed that they were intrigued with her ability. Even Akuma had raised an eyebrow of interest at her words (she had looked very bored, when Kagome first started).

Finally the story of healing Hitomi came to an end as she told him that he had awakened when she was giving him his daily dose of special healing tea. They were silent afterwards.

"Incredible," Ikoroku said as he was the first to break the silence. "Your abilities are truly wonderful, Higurashi-san. The fact that you are, in fact, a miko is glorious in its own, but topped with the accomplishment of managing to heal a demon with your miko abilities… simply incredible." She honestly couldn't have held back the blush that crept on her face, if she tried.

"I agree." Yamuhira said. "Although, it does bring-up the question of how it is that you are a demon… Yayuki care to explain."

The daughter knew it was a demand. She nonchalantly gulped down the nervousness that was bubbling in her throat. Now was the moment of truth. A moment that she had dreaded, but practiced for several times in her mind since she first woke-up two days ago — and entire day after she transformed Kagome into a demon.

Now she had to deliver. All she had to do was nail the explanation, and have Kagome show-off her skills perfectly, and they were in the clear.

"It was her reward," Yayuki started. "What Kagome-san did was remarkable — as you all have just heard — and something such as that deserved a proper reward. I knew that a few words of gratitude would not be enough. You all did not see how hard she worked — endless days and nights tending to H—Itorashi-san's wounds, and using her special abilities to ensure that his body healed properly."

"So as for her reward, I told her that I would grant her, her greatest wish and deepest desire. I, myself, had not expected Kagome-san to ask to become a demon, but I could not deny her when she did. I did not, after all, set any limits as to what she could ask for. The following day, Yuksi and I performed Kagome-san's demon transformation in the chamber beneath the lake." Yayuki said as she finished her story. She felt a little good with her explanation. But despite how good it was, it all depended on their reactions.

"Is that why you arrived as such a mess?" Yamuhira, her mother, asked.

"Yes, Okaa-san." Yayuki responded.

"I believed that was because of your battle with the rogue demon clan. Did you not manage to accomplish your task before all of this happened?" Ikoroku asked.

"I did. My battle with the rogue demon clan was the cause for this outcome."

"How so?" Yamuhira asked.

"The leader of that clan was the one who inflicted the injuries on Itorashi-san. After he received his final injury, while Yuksi tended to him, I finished my task by neutralizing the leader of that clan. Then I quickly went back to Itorashi-san and sought refuge."

"Why did you not just come back here?" Tenshi asked; being the first elder to speak since after the greetings.

"I knew that coming back here would be too risky. Along the way, we would have passed several areas being on watch by enemy demon clans. If they realized the condition that Itorashi-san was in, they would have taken it as a sign of weakness and attacked. I simply wanted to prevent that from happening."

"_So that's why Yuksi said that Hitomi's condition had to be kept secret…"_ Kagome thought. She didn't think that a battle (or possibly _war_) would've occurred; she had thought that Yayuki would just get in trouble or something. She was so surprised.

"Are you sure that is your reasoning, Yayuki?" Akuma asked.

"Yes. I swear on my title, that it was." Yayuki said with the upmost confidence. She knew all-too-well what Akuma was getting at. The little brat snooped around too much.

"That was a good choice." Tenshi said. "I would have preferred it had you called for aides, but I like how you managed to keep the situation as silent as possible. It prevented what surely would have been a massacre." The little elderly girl said with a bright smile on her pudgy face.

"I am glad that you approve of my judgment, Tenshi-sama." Yayuki said with a gentle bow of her head. _"Good. Tenshi-sama likes what I did. Surely this will influence my parents and Akuma-sama, in a positive way."_

"Well, it surely seems that you succeeded quite well in turning Kagome-san into a demon," Tenshi said as she once again studied the beautiful new demon sitting next to her clan member. "I would have never known that she used to be human, had you not told me." She stated.

"It was a good transformation, Yayuki," Yamuhira said. "And the fact that she is a yokai and not a hanyou is very marvelous. And her abilities…"

"They would make a great asset to the clan, would they not?" Yayuki posed as her mother trailed off; she had a feeling they were thinking the same thing. "After all, we have not had a miko in the clan since Junsuina-sama. Also, her abilities are quite unique and effective. If she were to be a part of the clan, she could teach our healers how to use her techniques, and we could tend to the wounded much faster and help them heal quicker than we do now." She stated.

"I think that would be very helpful to not only us, but those that we associate ourselves with…" Ikoroku said.

"I know that the villagers that we protect would greatly appreciate it. Their loyalty and acceptance towards us will only grow in magnitude." Yamuhira said.

"The clan territory would surely grow in size." Tenshi added. "More villages would want us to protect them if we were able to use these abilities that Yayuki has told us about…" While it seemed like the three of them were pondering on allowing Kagome to be accepted as an official member, Akuma was the only one who spoke against the notion.

"But is that all she will bring us? Healing techniques? I assure you that in a few years, we will learn these techniques ourselves." The dark purple-haired girl stated. She then turned her green-eyed gaze to Kagome. "Tell me, Miko, what is there to you than healing? Or is that it? Because if so, then you are not worthy-enough to become a member of this clan and turning you into a demon was a foolish act."

(Yayuki could feel her cheeks flush slightly with anger, but held herself back from making a smart remark towards the girl.

"_That little brat…"_).

"Well, actually…" Kagome started. (_"Highlight my strong points, highlight my strong points, highlight my strong points…"_). "I'm… very good with the bow and arrow, and… and I can sense the shards of the Shikon no Tama."

The demons in the room fell silent as they heard what Kagome said. The looks on their faces were different in their own, but the emotions were the same: surprise and confusion.

"What do you mean?" Tenshi asked.

"I can sense whenever there is a shard of the Shikon no Tama near me. And I can follow the trail to its location." She said.

"But those shards have surely been swallowed by demons." Ikoroku said. "Even if you found them and managed to neutralize the demon, the jewels would be too tainted to touch."

"Actually, I can purify them on touch." Kagome said.

"That is quite amazing," Yamuhira said. "I have never heard of a miko with spiritual energy strong enough to purify a tainted jewel on touch. Surely that would require years upon years of training."

"Well… not exactly…" At the raise of the eyebrow that Yamuhira gave her, Kagome said: "I never trained. In fact, I never really did anything when I first learned that I was a miko — I didn't even _know_ I was a miko. Everything just… _happened_. I mean: the first time I shot an arrow, I unconsciously added miko energy to it and… well… the rest is history…" She didn't think now would be the right time to tell them that she was the one who shattered the Shikon no Tama. She was trying to get on their good side, and hide as many faults as she could until, hopefully, later.

"Interesting…" Yamuhira said.

"See," Yayuki finally said after watching Kagome make them all think more and more, in their favor. "Kagome-san would make quite a valuable asset to the clan. With her abilities, we could keep the power of the Shikon no Tama from falling under the control of horrible demons and humans alike. And once we have all the shards, we can return the jewel to its village."

"That would be a great thing to do," Tenshi said. "With the jewel safely back in its proper place, the threat it is currently posing would be diminished."

"Let us not go too far along," Akuma said as she stopped her sister. "The demons of this clan are not only unique in their own ways, but also perfect at combat. There is no possible way that I will consider her becoming a part of the clan if she cannot put up a good fight."

"Well what do you propose we do?" Tenshi asked. Akuma was silent for a moment, glaring at Kagome, before she finally said:

"Fight my best warrior, Miko. And _live_."

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><p>I know I said that Kagome would go back to her friends this chapter, but then I realized that there was <em>no way<em> that she would automatically be made a member of the clan. I hope I didn't disappoint anybody though.

Next chapter: Kagome fights for her life against Akuma's best warrior. Will she go through with it? Will she even _live_? And, her demon form is revealed. What lies beneath the bandages?

Please review and tell me on what you loved or are eager to see. Hopefully by chapter ten, the bonding between our main couple will occur! I can see how them now… *sigh* It's going to be perfect!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	7. Fight for Your Life, Kagome!

I'm so glad that so many of you like this story! ^^ It really makes me want to write it more and more. And I hope that, as it progresses, it continues to get better and better — which I plan on happening. Anyways, this chapter is very long because it's full of tons of stuff! So get to reading, okay?

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha_ characters. I only own my own characters and the plot.

Thank you for all of the reviews! ^^

Enjoy!

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><p><span>The Demonic Flower<span>

_**Chapter 7: Fight for Your Life, Kagome!**_

***By Chibi Star Vamp***

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><p>"<em>Fight my best warrior, Miko. And <em>**live**_."_

Those words continued to ring in Kagome's head in an unstoppable loop. She gulped as she remembered the way that Akuma had looked when she said them to her; face serious, eyes deadly, and a tone that said to all that her decision was final, and there was nothing that anyone else could do about it.

And she was certain that this fact was true considering how no one tried to change her mind. Not even Yayuki.

Instead, the heiress was now leading Kagome back to her room; the breakfast with her family done and over with. Her steps were soft, her spine straight, and an air of elegance surrounded her. She seemed very calm and collected. But for some reason… Kagome could sense — in a completely different way than sensing a jewel shard — that Yayuki was angry, furious, absolutely _mortified _by Akuma's words.

She didn't know how she could sense this, but she did. It was a feeling that came to her automatically, and somehow she knew that it belonged to Yayuki.

"_Is it because I'm a demon now? Can demons sense the emotions of other demons?"_ Kagome thought; gladly changing her attention to a different topic considering how the current one caused nothing but fear to strike her heart.

She desperately wanted to ask Yayuki about her new demon self, but it didn't seem like she could — especially not when they had already reached her room, and the two demons from before — Haru and Jun — were waiting at opposite sides of the fusuma.

"Hello Yayuki-hime. Hello Miss Kagome." They said in unison as they finally spotted the two demons.

"Hello Haru, Jun — I suspect that you two have been properly refreshed." The two women nodded. "Good, I am glad. Now, I need you two to prepare Kagome-san for a battle. Bathe her, change her bandages, and dress her in the clothing of the female warriors of the clan. Make sure that it is fitted on her properly — no loose areas — and that the armor covers the vital parts of her body; use the chart of the human body to do so, given how Kagome is still quite a fragile demon. When you are done, do bring Kagome-san to my room." Yayuki stated.

Despite the bundle of confusion that was growing inside of them, the two attendants nodded their heads instead of questioning their heiress; knowing that if it was something that they were allowed to know, she would have told them.

"Yes Yayuki-hime." They said in unison.

"Thank you. Now, I shall now take my leave." Yayuki said; she then turned to Kagome. "Do not worry Kagome-san, I will make sure that you are more-than-prepared for your battle. I will _not _allow any harm to come to you." She stated with a friendly smile.

Kagome managed to give her back a timid smile — tinted with what she hoped was unseen worry — before Yayuki began to walk down the hallway to the right. In the back of her mind, Kagome could sense that she was worried.

"Miss Kagome—" She turned her had back to look at the two women "—Please come. Let us head to the bathhouse."

Kagome nodded her head and followed the women as they moved down the hallway to the left.

Before they turned another corner, she felt the emotion in the back of her mind, change. It went from worried, to surprised. She wondered what could've caused Yayuki to get this way.

"_I hope it's not anything bad… or relating to me…"_

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><p>"Tami?" Yayuki asked, shocked, as she looked at the black-haired demon seated on her bed.<p>

"Hey." Tami said casually as she looked at Yayuki.

"W-what… what are you doing in my room?" Yayuki asked as she entered her bedroom, and the doors slid closed thanks to the guards that were always outside of it. She began to walk over to a large dark-red wardrobe that was inside of the room, and against the wall that her black and gold bed was stationed against — the wall opposite the main doors.

"I came to ask you a few things." Tami said as she stood from the simple and elegantly decorated bed, and began to head to the wardrobe as well.

"Like what?" Yayuki asked as she bent her knees and moved her hand across the front of the drawer. The insignia of her clan that was carved into it, glowed, before Yayuki grabbed the drawer at its sides, and began to pull it open. She had to shuffle back a little in order to get it fully pulled back.

While the drawer wasn't very high, it was quite long. Inside, there were a series of bows and arrows. All of them of different lengths, sizes, and colors. Some strings were thick, others were quite thin; showing the difficulty it would take to move the string back, and use the arrow. The bows all had different designs, and they even came with their own set of arrows and quivers that matched their color, and had the bow's design engraved into their wood.

"Going out for some shooting practice?" Tami asked as her eyes, too, ran over the weapons.

"Perhaps." Yayuki said. "Now, what is it that you want to ask me about?"

"About this demon that you brought back." Her words caused Yayuki to momentarily stiffen as she inspected the bows and quivers. But she made sure to not show that she was surprised.

"What about her?" She asked gently.

"What do you know of her fighting styles?" Yayuki slowly turned her head to look at Tami; a white eyebrow raised.

"Why so curious?" She asked her friend.

"Because, I'm going to fight her and I'd like to know what I'm going up against."

Yayuki could feel a wave of shock wash over her at Tami's statement. But she made sure to not let her body show that she was surprised. She kept her face stoic, professional, and blank — even though on the inside a thousand or so questions were rushing in her mind. The main being: _"Why is Tami going to fight Kagome-san?!"_

"Excuse me?" She instead asked.

Tami rolled her eyes before blowing at her bangs; only to have them fall back in place. "I'm fighting her."

"Why?" Yayuki asked.

"Akuma asked me to."

"_You _are Akuma's best warrior?" Yayuki asked; surprised that the darkness sage-in-training was actually associated with Akuma. (Tami had once declared that she couldn't stand the elder, and would much rather enjoy her being dead than alive — she itched to run her weapon through her body and kill her).

"Yes." Tami said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Since when?"

"I've been training with her for over a year now. I was against it at first but — damn. The little bitch is a good teacher." Tami stated with a smirk on her face. It caused Yayuki to grow worried. She had been calm — upset, but calm — over Akuma's earlier declaration, because she believed that Kagome could manage to get away from any _regular _member of her clan.

But Tami wasn't a regular member.

She was a darkness sage-in-training, and received exclusive training, like she does.

"_There's no way that Kagome-san can beat Tami…" _Yayuki thought as she turned her head around to look at the weapons, once again, and bit into her bottom lip. _"Not if Akuma is training Tami. That's a _**death sentence**_!"_

"So what do you know about her?" Tami asked once again.

"Few things…" Yayuki responded as she — taking into consideration the new information — began to choose a bow that shot arrows quickly. She knew that it even came with lightweight arrows that were surprisingly sharp. "She is a good healer. And she does have somewhat of a good aim — she could use a little practice though."

"Good aim? With what?" Tami asked.

"In general, I believe." Yayuki responded as she grabbed the brown-wood bow and its matching quiver. "I would be careful and make sure to shield all of my vitals, if I were you, Tami." She stated as she closed the drawer and stood with the weapons in her hand.

Tami cockily grinned. "Che. Like she'll be any match for _me_. The little bitch has _no idea _just how dangerous I am." Tami bragged. But a few moments later, she could feel the shift in Yayuki's demeanor; something that rarely happened. The heiress was usually so calm, and managed to keep herself that way in some of the most tense situations.

"What's the matter?" Tami asked.

"Tami… you can't fight Kagome-san." Yayuki said as she looked at her friend sternly. Tami raised a black eyebrow.

"Why not?" Tami asked.

"Because you'll probably end-up giving her some very serious, life-threatening injuries or _worse_… And I can't allow that." Yayuki said. Tami frowned.

"So? If she can't deal with it, it's her fault for being so weak."

"She's a new demon, Tami." Yayuki said; to the sage's surprise. "She has no clue how to defend herself in that state. Your fighting her is a guaranteed future murder — I won't let Kagome-san die so quickly."

"Well what do you want me to do?" Tami asked.

"Not fight."

"I can't. Akuma gave me strict instructions to fight the girl."

"Well then… fight her, but don't hurt her so much. Give her a few scratches and bruises and let her come-out of it _alive_." Yayuki said; there was a hint of desperation in her eyes.

Tami sighed as she noticed this. "I can't do that…"

"Why not? You fight her like Akuma wants and Kagome-san lives like I want — I don't see a problem there." Yayuki said.

"…I'm known as one of the most vicious demons of the clan. When I fight, I fight to kill. Not wound or overpower, but _kill_ — everyone knows this, even you. You know very well that if I fight her, and she comes out alive, there will be questions. And these questions will be answered instantly by Akuma — she'll know that you did something because you're the one that brought her here. When that happens, there is no doubt that you'll go through hell for interfering with Akuma's decision."

"You know Akuma, Yayuki. When she gets angry, she forgets all relationship statuses and only sees the person who angered her as a traitor. When she realizes what you did, she'll make you go through hell and probably strip you of everything that you have — you'll be known, forever, as the disgrace of the clan, and for what? A _girl_? A random girl you brought back here so that she can become a member of _this _clan. You know the standards for being a member — you're the _heiress _dammit. And if that girl can't fight me and live, she has no reason to become a member."

Yayuki was silent. Her face was stoic and there were several emotions running through her eyes; no doubt displaying what was going through her head.

But Tami could see it; the recognition.

"I have to prepare for a fight." She said as she began to exit the room. But before she reached the door, Tami stopped and said, "Don't do anything stupid, Yayuki. Don't throw your life away for that girl." And with that, she slid the door open and left.

Yayuki stood there — thinking; her heart wrenching as she came to several conclusions — none of them good.

"_I could lose everything…" _She thought as she grasped the item in her hand even harder; but still being careful not to scratch its material. _"But… but I can't let Kagome-san die… It wouldn't be fair…"_ At that point, her eyes hardened as she came to a resolve. She placed the bow inside its holder attached to the quiver, and put the quiver on her arm — the strap hung on her shoulder.

Opening the fusuma, Yayuki walked-out with her head held high. The women stationed there nodded at her as she left, and Yayuki gave them a nod back.

She began to head back to Kagome.

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><p>When Kagome arrived back in her room from her bath, and now wrapped in new bandages — she was upset that her body still wasn't healed just yet — she was surprised, and happy, to see Yayuki waiting for her inside of the room.<p>

"Yayuki-hime." The attendants greeted with a bow.

"Hello Haru, Jun, Kagome-san." Yayuki said as she greeted all three females.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked.

"I came to help with your battle preparations, Kagome-san." Yayuki said. Kagome raised an eyebrow at the female.

"You're going to help put my clothes on?" She asked.

Yayuki shook her head; a smile on her face. "No. I just came to give you a weapon to use. I know that I said that I would give you the weapon when you arrived at my room, but I believe that the sooner that it is in your possession, the better." Yayuki said. It was then that Kagome noticed the brown strap across Yayuki's body. Her eyes widened — immediately recognizing the weapon that Yayuki had brought with her.

"A bow and arrows." Kagome stated.

"Yes." Yayuki paused to take-off the quiver and placed it on the table next to her, along with the bow. Kagome walked over to it to inspect the weapon.

She found that the bow was beautifully crafted, and that it seemed unused with the way the wood was knick-free and was smooth. The quiver that it came with was made of leather, and had a top that opened and closed. It was shaped like a rectangle with rounded edges, and she could tell that the stitching was very professional. The top cover was similar to an envelope, but shaped as a semicircle. There was a ribbon sewn into it. The ribbon was wrapped around a steel circle that was elevated a centimeter or so by a thin steel rod; it was placed on the front of the quiver's body. On the flap where the bow was tied, was the insignia that Kagome had seen, earlier, painted on the changing room wall, and attached to the quiver's side was a cylinder-shaped leather holder that held the bow inside.

But most of all, Kagome was glad to see that the bow was made for a right-handed person.

"I hope I got the dominant hand correct." Yayuki said.

"You did." Kagome said with a smile.

"Good…" She said with a sigh. "Now, let me tell you a few things about it. This bow is specifically made to provide quick shooting. As you can see, the string is very tight and retracts quickly." Yayuki pulled the string back with one finger, and Kagome watched as, when she let the string go, in a mere second it was straight again.

"Wow." Kagome said; surprised by the elasticity of the string.

"And the arrows…" Yayuki paused to unravel the ribbon that kept the specially-made quiver closed, and pulled back the flap that hid the arrows. She then grabbed one of the twelve arrows, and held it up for Kagome to see. "…Are very lightweight. They can easily pierce through the air thanks to the steel arrowheads which are very, very sharp." To prove her point, Yayuki gently placed her finger against the tip, in a feather-light touch, and pulled back to show Kagome the small drip of blood on her finger.

"With the right amount of work, it can pierce directly through a thick stone boulder in one, clean cut." Her words made the miko's eyes widen.

"W-wow…" Kagome said; surprised that such a little thing could cause so much harm. But at the same time, it made her more frightened about the battle. Who or _what_ exactly was she going to fight that caused Yayuki to give her such dangerous weapons? Clearly this would prove to be a much more dangerous task than she originally thought it would be.

"With these, you have a good source of defense and offense — if used correctly. But I am certain that you can, correct?" Yayuki asked as she looked to the miko while she went to put the arrow back in the quiver.

"Uh—yeah! Yes! I can…" Kagome said.

"Are you certain? You sound a little… unsure of your abilities, Kagome-san." Yayuki questioned with a concerned look in her ice-blue eyes.

"No! I mean… I'm just nervous, that's all." Kagome confessed; her eyes taking on a worried tint. "I… I just… I don't want to die…" She told them. She wasn't surprised at all when Yayuki remained calm in the aftermath of her statement; the female demon always seemed to maintain a cool-head no matter the situation.

"I understand… I would be frightened myself if I was to fight such a person, on my own…" The heiress stated. She then raised her head — finished with closing the quiver — and surprised Kagome by giving her a smile that reminded Kagome so much of her mother's smile. "But do not worry, Kagome-san. I promise you that you will not go into this battle unprepared. In fact, I will do all that I can to help you, Kagome-san…"

"Yayuki…" Kagome said as she heard the female's words. A gentle smile pulled on her face. "Thank you." Yayuki easily returned it.

"You are welcome." The demon female stated. She then turned to Haru and Jun. "Please, do prepare Kagome-san as best as you possibly can. Make sure that her armor is as defensive as it is offensive — I want no harm coming to her." She stated with a stern look in her eyes.

"Yes Yayuki-hime." The two females responded.

"Good." She then turned to Kagome. "I will see you during the battle, Kagome-san. Good luck."

"Thanks." Kagome said. Yayuki then exited the room. Not a second after the fusuma closed, she was being led to the platform in the middle of her room, by Haru and Jun. As Jun helped her on top of the small, wooden pedestal, Kagome's eyes went to the wardrobe in her room — more specifically, to the garment that hung from there.

She was surprised to see a simpler version of a samurai suit. It had much of the protection that the original provided, but it didn't seem as if it would be very heavy to wear. Judging by all the armor that she would wear, and even the protection for her head, she knew that Yayuki meant what she said by she not going into battle unprepared.

She was certain that with the samurai armor, and the bow and arrows, that was as prepared as a person (or new demon) could possibly get when about to fight such a dangerous entity.

* * *

><p>"Akuma!"<p>

Both elders were seated behind an elevated table that held things such as hot tea and treats for them to eat, on top. They were seated on tall chairs with plush cushions on top of them; their legs beneath them and their hips resting back, comfortable, on their ankles. Beside them were two female attendants, who wore special black and white kimonos, and had their hair pulled-back into buns.

They turned their heads to their right at the sound of the familiar voice, and were none-too-surprised when they spotted Yayuki walking — angrily — up to them. Or more specifically: Akuma.

"Funny…" Tenshi said as the younger, and yet older-looking female, continued to walk down the outside hallway. "I thought that she would come sooner. Or do this during breakfast."

"Same here…" Akuma said. "But better late than never." Tenshi took a sip of her tea, with a smile on her face, when Yayuki finally approached them. Immediately, Akuma dismissed the two attendants to go get her a few of her favorite treats, before looking back at the heiress and saying, "About time."

"_Tami_ is going to fight Kagome-san?" Yayuki questioned; clearly not happy. "Have you _lost your mind_?"

"Have you?" Akuma countered; an eyebrow mockingly raised.

"Of course not — and even if I had, I wouldn't be crazy enough to pit an inexperienced demon with one of the most elite killers of the clan." The urge to raise her voice was strong, but Yayuki held herself back. There were many witnesses around, and she had an image to keep — no matter how much she wanted to scream at Akuma as if she were the age that she resembled.

The girl narrowed her green eyes at her.

"Excuse you," Akuma said fiercely. "I suggest that you remember your place, Yayuki. You may be the heiress, but _I _hold the power to strip you of everything, and make you one of my servants." There was no joking tone to her voice. Yayuki could tell that Akuma was deadly serious.

But that didn't mean she was about to back down.

"I know about my limitation, Akuma, but that does not mean that I am going to allow you to kill Kagome-san."

"Who said anything about killing the girl?" Akuma asked.

Yayuki narrowed her eyes at the female. "Oh _come on_. You told her to _live_ — not to do her best in the fight, but _live_. If anything, you're _hinting _that she won't come out of it alive. And it's clear that she may not since she's fighting _Tami of all demons_! Goodness! Why not just send her directly to hell and make it a swift and painless death? Hm?!"

"Well if she's good enough to get you to personally bring her back here, then I'm sure that she's good enough to fight Tami. Don't you?"

"Being a skilled healer is one thing — fighting an elite demon is _overkill_!" Yayuki silently exclaimed.

"To you, it's overkill. To me, it's the requirement for getting into this clan. Now I suggest that you kill those motherly emotions that you hold for that girl, so that it'll be less-painful when she fails." She stated bitterly.

At that point, Tenshi joined the conversation; a concerned look on her angelic face. "Akuma-nee-san, that's mean." She stated.

Akuma scoffed. "So? It's her fault for bringing that girl back here in the first place." She turned to Yayuki. "Tell me, Yayuki, what on earth possessed you to bring her back here? Was it a reward like you said, or something else?"

Yayuki rolled her eyes. "Kagome-san wanted to become a demon. That was her wish — her reward. _Obviously_ I wasn't about to make her a demon and leave her out there to fend for herself. So _of course_ I'm going to bring her back here and try to make her an official member of the clan."

"Why?" Akuma asked.

Yayuki took a moment to harden her eyes. She wasn't intimidated by Akuma, like other members of the clan were. Despite her overly-advanced age, Akuma looked like a little girl — younger than her. And Yayuki never saw Akuma as anything but.

"Because that's what mothers do. They look after their children and help them any way they can."

"You're her mother?" Akuma asked.

"I used my blood to turn her into a demon. I used my essence. Kagome-san is my offspring — my daughter — and I am not about to let you kill my first child just because you feel the urge to act like a brat today, Akuma." Her answer caused Akuma to narrow her eyes even more. A fierce demonic aura began to emit from the young-looking female, and her eyes began to change; her pupils sharpening and black outlining the green.

"That girl is going to have to fight for her life if she wants to become a member of this clan. My decision is _final_. Now go. I want you out of my sight."

Yayuki's eyes softened as she looked down at the girl; sadness leaking into her once-angry, ice-blue eyes as she stared down at the female. "Akuma, _please_, I'm begging you — call-off the fight..." She said, softly. But Akuma remained silent. "I can't believe you... After everything I've done for you… Akuma…"

Akuma scoffed. "Leave already." She hissed bitterly.

Staring straight ahead at the large strip of land where the fight would take place, Akuma could hear the sound of Yayuki's shoes as the heiress left. Her demonic aura slowly dissipating as the footsteps became more and more faint. When Yayuki was fully gone, Akuma was under control.

"Akuma-nee-san…" Tenshi said as she looked at her sister. "She's right."

"I don't care."

* * *

><p>Battle<p>

* * *

><p>The battleground was set in the center of one of the largest houses of the estate. It was a large, rectangular-shaped area that was bordered by the wooden fences of the outside hallways, and was filled with nothing but dirt that had been nicely patted into the ground by the attendants of the clan that were assigned to care for that specific area.<p>

There were very few rocks or trees — elements that could hinder the ones using that area. Surrounding it, and placed around its border on the outside hallways, were members of the clan that came to watch the battle.

All of the high-ranked members were there; they were all standing as they conversed while they waited for the battle to begin. A few of the lower-ranks that were there were the attendants that normally accompanied the higher-ranks. They stayed silently by their masters' sides as they awaited any instructions; secretly hoping that they wouldn't be asked to do anything so that they could watch the battle.

Directly in front of the battleground, were Akuma and Tenshi. They had the clearest view of the battlefield; able to look down its entire length.

Around the area were the sages-in-training, and Yayuki's parents; along with their friends who were the leaders of the neighboring clan. Yayuki was positioned far away from the group; her eyes focused on the fusuma that Kagome would use when she entered the battlefield. She was chewing on her bottom lip.

"_Kagome-san… please, _**live**_."_ She thought — prayed.

Moments later, the fusuma opened and Kagome entered the area, with Haru and Jun guiding her.

Kagome felt her fingers grip the bow in her hand, tighter. Not only was she nervous-to-death about the fight, but entering where it would take place, and seeing the amount of spectators that were there to watch her as she engaged in the battle… It made her even _more _nervous.

"_I can't believe I'm about to do this..." _Kagome thought as she followed the two females while they led her to the entrance into the area. _"How am I supposed to defeat a surely powerful demon on my own? God… where's Inuyasha when you need him?" _Kagome hoped, _desperately_, as she walked through the open gate and onto the area, that Inuyasha and the gang would pop-up at any moment, and save her.

She imagined him fighting each and every one of the demons, and not stopping until they were all down and he could easily grab her and take her away — back to the others.

It was somewhat of a horrible thing to think about considering how the demons of the clan that she'd come in contact with, were rather nice and pleasant to be around. They were kind to her and made her feel a little more comfortable in the huge and unfamiliar area. And to wish that they were hurt by one of her friends… it wasn't a good thing.

But adrenaline was pumping in her veins as Haru and Jun stopped her in one area, and fixed certain pieces of her armor, before each giving her a smile and leaving the area — leaving her alone. She no longer felt secure, and knew that she was a sitting duck. It scared her, and she wanted to go home, to her mom, grandpa and brother, and wrap herself up in the blankets that were on her bed.

But she knew that she couldn't.

Kagome took the few moments of silence that followed, to prepare herself for battle by opening the quiver.

"_I might as well get ready to defend myself…" _She thought.

She could feel herself touch the ribbon on the body of the holder, and began to unwind the silky soft material. Once it was off and she could freely reach into the quiver, she grabbed onto an arrow from its slot, and held it in her left hand.

"_I can do this…" _She thought as she continued to stare at the elders as they spoke with a group of females that were to their right; each of them holding brightly colored hair, except for one female who held long black hair, and had an expression on her face that reminded her of Inuyasha. _"I can win… right?"_

As she tried to reassure herself, Akuma stood from her seat. All eyes went to her as she spoke.

"Higurashi Kagome, you wish to become a member of the Junketsu Clan, correct?" Akuma asked her. Kagome nodded her head before giving a vocal response, and momentarily praying that her voice wasn't shaky.

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

"And you have the opportunity to become one. So far, your skills prove to be a positive asset for the clan. We see much progress in our future if you were to join us, but before you become an official member, you must prove that you can hold your own when it comes to battle… Your opponent will be my best warrior, the Darkness sage-in-training, Shi Tami."

Kagome watched as the black-haired female that she had spotted just seconds ago, leaped onto the battlefield, directly in front of her on the opposite side of the land. She could feel her nervousness begin to bubble-over in her stomach as she sensed the demonic aura that demon female was giving off.

"_Strong…"_ Kagome thought as she continued to stare at the all-black female. _"She's probably one of the strongest demons I've ever come in contact with… and I have to fight her _**alone**_!"_

Her fight-or-flight (well more like flight) response only grew as she watched the female remove the object from her back. Kagome watched with intense eyes as the demon, Tami, touched the top of the covered-object, and the material began to disappear. She couldn't hold in her gasp as she laid her eyes on the female's weapon-of-choice.

It was a large scythe.

It was made of steel and had two sharp blades at the top. The blades were definitely sharpened to perfection, and there was no doubt in her mind that they could slice through skin easily. The blade on the left was straight, short and pointed; in the shape of an isosceles triangle. The blade on the right was long and curved; its tip reaching down to three-fourths of the shiny, black-colored steel pole that was used to hold it.

Between the two blades was a large steel ornament attached to the pole, and held the two blades to it. The ornament was very large and nicely crafted — resembling somewhat of a flower placed on top of a distinctly carved piece of metal.

Kagome gulped.

"_I'm going to die." _

"This battle is simple. There are no rules. The victor is either the one left alive, or with the least damage to their body." Akuma said; causing Kagome's heart to thump harshly in her chest. "This battle will not stop before either of those points, unless announced by one of the elders."

"Begin."

As soon as Akuma said the word, Tami came rushing at her. Kagome was stunned like a deer in front of headlights as the demon got closer and closer to her.

"_Move… I need to move…!"_ But she couldn't find it in herself to run away — like her mind was desperately telling her to do. But her body stayed still; awaiting the more-experienced demon as she got closer and closer. _"Why can't I move?!" _She shouted in her mind as Tami was about five yards away from her.

Kagome watched with wide eyes, and her breath caught in her throat, as Tami lifted her arms to raise her weapon high. The small blade was pointed downward, and Kagome concluded that that would be the blade that the demon would use to hit her. In her mind she could see it slamming into her skull, and crushing the insides of her head. It was a grotesque image.

It shone from the sunlight.

When Tami finally swung her arms down, something forced Kagome to duck. She managed to lower her body in time to miss the single blade. She then crawled beneath Tami's open feet and began to run to the other side of the battlefield — her flight response kicking in.

"_I gotta get out of here!" _She screamed in her mind as she began to run directly towards Akuma and Tenshi. But their images were somewhat blurred as she focused on escaping.

"Get back here!" Tami shouted as she swiftly turned around and ran towards Kagome.

"Stay away!" Kagome shouted. She unconsciously ducked again as her ears picked-up the sound of wind being sliced. This time, she only had to lower her head since her body was already at an angle due to how desperate she was to put some distance between herself and the vicious demon.

Tami groaned as she missed slicing Kagome's neck, like she had planned. Changing her aim as she continued to chase the frightened female around the strip of land, she aimed a swipe for the back of Kagome's stomach with her longer blade.

She grew infuriated as Kagome jumped over her and landed behind her; taking-off once again.

"_Damn girl…"_ She thought angrily as she turned around as quickly as she could and focused on trying to slice her legs; missing once again as Kagome jumped to the side and rolled a few feet away, just as her blade was about to knick the skin of her ankle and make her foot useless. She growled.

"Fight me!" She shouted angrily; agitated with the game of Cat and Mouse that they were playing.

She was hoping for some fierce combat; not a pathetic chase.

"No!" Kagome shouted as she searched for an area to hide; her eyes setting on a large boulder. But she quickly changed her course as her body made her jump to the right; Tami having swung to cut-off her left arm. "Stay away!" She shouted as she quickly got to her feet and continued to run — dodging swipes and obstacles as she did so.

"Fucking fight me!" Tami shouted once again as Kagome had the nerve to try and hide behind one of the few trees that were laid around the area. She cut-off all of the tree's leaves in a single swoop — still missing Kagome. _"Bitch!"_

"No! _Never_!" Adrenaline pumping, Kagome quickly began to set-up the bow and arrow. She could hear the sound of the blade smoothly cutting through air as she tried to get the arrow positioned perfectly on the bow. When something warned her that the blade was not ten inches away from chopping-off her head, Kagome jumped and twisted her body in the air to land on her back.

She wasted no time in shooting the arrow while Tami's arms were still up and not able to protect her chest.

She filled it quickly with her miko energy, and shot it. Tami flinched as it struck her where her heart was, and went directly through her body. Kagome was close to smiling at the fact that she had managed to hit her, but she didn't do so, and instead grabbed another arrow and shot it; mentally thanking Yayuki for getting her a quick-shooting bow with fierce and lightweight arrows.

"_Keep shooting. Keep shooting." _She told herself as she continued to strike the female with the arrows in different areas of her body: legs, arms, chest, and neck. _"If I hit her enough times, she may just be purified and I'll live!" _After about seven arrows, and an eighth ready to be shot, Kagome stopped as she examined the demon.

There was blood coming down from where the arrows had hit her, and Kagome's miko energy was still lit on the arrows. Kagome could see the pain on Tami's face as she felt the pure energy interact with her demonic cells.

She was glad when the scythe dropped from her hand, and Tami got down on her knees; the arrows there digging deeper into her skin.

"_Did I… did I win?" _Kagome asked herself as she noticed the pool of blood beginning to form around Tami.

It was very large and only growing by the second. Kagome gasped and began to move back as her arrows burned out and blood began to spill from the demon in large sprays. She was horrified as the pool got larger and larger; growing to the size of a small pond. As the blood slowly began to stop, Kagome had her back against a boulder and her mouth covered — she'd never seen so much blood in her life!

Finally no more blood came-out of her body and Tami fell into the drenched earth. For a few moments, there was silence as everyone just stared at the still body in its own blood.

"_Did I do it?" _Kagome thought as more seconds passed by. _"Did I win? Am I… Am I a part of the clan now?" _The thought that the nightmare was finally over, greatly pleased Kagome as she continued to stare at the motionless corpse. The shock was slowly leaving her as her head was filled with thoughts of living. _"Am I really the winner of this battle?"_

Still staring intensely at the grotesque scene before her, Kagome's eyes furrowed in confusion — silence. _"If she is dead… and I win… they would've said so by now… and they haven't. Meaning…" _Her heart began to pick up its pace.

A blood-bubble formed, and popped.

"_It's not over yet."_

Kagome watched with horror growing in her wide steel-grey eyes, as more and more bubbles began to form. Soon the pond of blood began to mimic a boiling pot of water, and Tami's body and weapon began to sink into it. But not a moment after the two objects were out of her view, the bloody bubbles that formed began to collect together at the center.

They stacked on top of one another and began to form a long hill. As this happened, Kagome's flight response kicked in as she quickly turned away from the scene and began to stand.

She fled the scene — anxious to create distance between herself and the boiling, thick liquid. But she was unaware of the stream of blood that was following her as if it were an extension of her shadow; copying her every move. The non-bubbling liquid touched Kagome's shadow, and merged with it.

Kagome gasped as she felt her body freeze; one leg raised and the other on its toe as she was in the middle of running.

"_W-w-w-wha—what's going on?!" _She frantically thought in her mind as she felt something begin to move directly on top of her bandages beneath the layers of clothing that she was currently wearing, and touch her skin. She could feel goose-bumps rise as the liquid slid up her body, and began to wrap around her.

"_Oh god — why is this happening?!"_ She could feel her heart beat faster as her body turned around; still frozen. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes grew wider as they landed on the mountain of boiling blood.

The dark red liquid began to change colors, and the bubbles began to shrink as they got closer and closer to each other. Soon the color was fully-black and the liquid began to move down. Left in its place were the features of a body — Kagome was ready to cry-out as she realized that it was Tami, in a new form, and with her scythe in her hand.

Tami's hair was now down, and not in the low ponytail that it had been in earlier; the locks falling all the way down to the floor. Her bangs were moved to one side of her face, and her piercing black eyes had a black mask around it with white dots as a decoration.

She wasn't wearing any clothing; except she was fully naked with a layer of the black blood covering her intimate areas in a makeshift dress — obviously attached to the puddle.

Her black pupils were narrowed into slits and she bared her teeth at Kagome; her white fangs shining.

Smelling her fright, Tami smirked at Kagome.

"Those foolish arrows of yours did nothing to me…" Tami said in a venomous voice. "They didn't harm me. They just made my _blood boil _— and now you're going to pay!"

Kagome couldn't help the scream that escaped her throat as she was forcibly moved closer to the female. Her limbs were forced down (legs together, arms at her side) and her mouth shut as she was moved, by the blood, to be less than a foot away from the demon.

She wished that she wasn't there. She wished that she could close her eyes, open them, and find herself either back with her friends or at home with her family.

Her heart beat furiously against her ribcage as she stared at the powerful demon.

"_I'm going to die…" _She thought as Tami raised her scythe, and cut-off the strap of the quiver containing her four remaining arrows inside — cutting through the armor and slicing into her shoulder, as well; blood immediately pouring from the wound. She mentally hissed. _"I'm going to die! Oh god, why? Why me?!" _

When Tami raised her scythe again, tears began to leak from Kagome's eyes in small rivers. She couldn't help it as she thought about her life, up to that point. She thought about her friends and family; the moments that she shared with them — both good and bad.

She thought about what their reaction to her death may be. No doubt there would be tears, and curses, and heartache all around. She could imagine her mother crying endlessly, for days, as Inuyasha delivered the news of her death. She could see her family closing the shrine — the well — and moving away from the area; heartbroken and wishing that they hadn't moved there in the first place.

She could also see Naraku getting a hold of all of the jewel shards, and wishing upon the Shikon no tama. The destruction… the pain… the blood…

They were all heart-wrenching scenes that she could see as her face was reflected in the blade.

She watched her own tears fall.

"_This is it… this is the end…" _

"Die!"

"_Goodbye…"_

Tami swung the scythe.

It swiftly moved; aiming to cut Kagome's body right down the middle from the top of her head, down.

"_I'll… miss you all…"_

"Don't you _dare_!"

Before her scythe could make contact with Kagome's head, and end it all, it instead came in contact with a pair of double-katana. The swords blocked its desired path and even pushed the weapon back as their owner flipped over Kagome's body and stood directly in front of her.

"What the hell?!" Tami furiously shouted as she glared at the female.

"Stand back Tami." Yayuki declared as she shielded Kagome from her fellow clan member; her eyes were stern and ablaze with fire. Her legs were spread open and her swords at her side, as she held her head high and made direct eye-contact. "I will not allow you to kill Kagome-san. Not now, not ever!" She exclaimed.

Hearing the declaration, Kagome moved her eyes downward — surprised that she was alive — to see what was going on. She would've gasped if it weren't for the fact that her muscles were being restrained, when she recognized the swords, and concluded that Yayuki had interfered with her death.

"_I can't believe it…"_ Kagome thought — along with several other members of the clan as they, too, looked at their heiress.

"Are you insane?!" Tami shouted at Yayuki. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you bitch? Why the fuck are you getting in the way?!" She angrily shouted.

"Kagome-san is my daughter." Yayuki said. "And I will not allow her to be murdered — especially not by my own clan."

"Get off the battlefield Yayuki!" Akuma shouted; causing the spectators to look in her direction as she stood on top of the table, on all fours, and glared at the white-haired demon. "I told you to not get in the way of this fight!"

Yayuki didn't turn to her; still glaring at Tami as she spoke. "And I told you — _begged you _— to call it off!" She exclaimed; right before jumping and cutting the glob of blood that held Kagome up. Once the link was broken, the rest of the blood became immobile and Kagome began to fall. Yayuki quickly caught her and moved her farther away from Tami; making quick work of healing the wound in Kagome's shoulder.

Akuma groaned; her pupils sharpening and narrowing as her demonic aura grew more and more vicious. It wasn't long before the ground of the battlefield began to crack and black fluid started to spill-out. The fluid quickly shot-up from the ground and began to wrap itself around Yayuki's wrists and ankles.

"Let go of me!" The heiress shouted as she was pulled away from Kagome and positioned near the end of the battlefield where Akuma and Tenshi were stationed. Her arms and legs were spread as she hung above the ground; trying to pull at her restraints. "Akuma release me!" She shouted at the girl.

"_You _obey_ me_! _Not the other way around_!" Akuma shouted at Yayuki as the two's eyes met; both burning with fury because of the other. Akuma then snapped her head towards Tami. "Finish this! Kill the girl and end it already!" She ordered.

"_No_!"

"Shut up!"

"Kagome-san! Ru—" Yayuki was cut-off as the black liquid wrapped around her mouth. But that didn't mean that Kagome had no clue about what she was saying. Already up on her feet, the miko began to run away from the demon.

"End this!" Akuma shouted. Tami gave a quick nod before pursuing Kagome; the end of her bloody dress getting longer and longer as it created a tail behind her.

In the back of her mind, Kagome could almost hear Yayuki shouting at her to run faster; she could feel the distressed emotions of her momentary-savior as Tami got closer and closer to her — her scythe aimed to kill with one swoop of the blade.

"_I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!"_ Kagome screamed in her mind as she moved her head left and right to search for a spot that she could hide behind for at least a second.

Maybe in that second she could figure-out a way to defeat Tami? She had to. She wanted to _live_!

"_I need to hurt her somehow… but how? My arrows won't work, but… but… she's still a demon… But then again—"_ She paused her thoughts as she flipped over Tami. Immediately as she touched the floor, she could feel Tami's blood begin to wrap around her ankles.

She couldn't help it as her body, sensing the demon essence on her, released a surge of her miko energy around her ankles.

Kagome was surprised to see that the blood actually came-off of her ankles, and even retreated. She gasped. _"That's it!"_ She screamed in her mind as she began to run once again. _"I have to purify the blood around me. Since it's not in her body, it's just demonic blood!"_

"You wench! Get back here!" Tami shouted; upset that Kagome had the nerve to try and purify her blood. Her fangs twitched with the nerve to bite into Kagome's skin and rip it apart. Her deadly claws tightened around her weapon as she continued to chase the miko around. _"She's giving me more trouble than I thought… I have to end this quick before she has a chance to hurt me…"_ Tami thought.

As Tami took another precise swipe at her, Kagome jumped and rolled over on her back. She quickly then set-up a barrier around her — before Tami swung her weapon down at her, once again. While the barrier did turn white where Tami struck it, it didn't fade or go down. Kagome took the few seconds to breathe; her heart beating harshly.

"_Plan — I need to think of a good plan to beat her…" _She frantically thought as she noticed the blood begin to surround the barrier. But it didn't manage to touch her because her miko energy was purifying it on touch.

"You bitch! Get out of there and fight like a demon!" Tami shouted as she continued to strike Kagome's barrier; clearly annoyed by how strong it was.

"I am a demon!" Kagome shouted back.

"I can't tell, you weak bitch! Stop hiding behind that barrier and fight me!" Tami struck the center of the barrier and it flickered for a moment. Kagome gasped as some of the barrier at the top, where Tami hit, faded before going back up again.

"_Oh no!"_

"_So that's the weak spot." _Tami thought; having seen the barrier flicker as well. She smirked as she gripped her weapon tighter — a plan quickly formulating in her head. She knew _exactly _how she would end the battle.

"You're gonna come out of there — even if I have to drag your lifeless body out!" Tami twisted her weapon in her hand so that the longer blade was pointed down at Kagome; the new demon's eyes widened as she stared at the curved weapon. She could feel her heart begin to thump wildly as Tami raised her weapon; a demonic smile on her face as she stared down at Kagome. "Die!" Tami slammed her weapon down on the center of the barrier.

As it broke through, Kagome screamed while scooting away from the deadly blade. Not a second after her weapon was submerged in the barrier, a giant wave of blood formed and entered it. Kagome had no time to comprehend what was going on as she was fully covered in the liquid.

Tami smirked as she pulled her weapon back, and broke the rest of the barrier. Her large pond of blood formed a thick lump where Kagome's body had been. _"Finally."_ She thought. _"I'll give her credit for lasting so long, though."_

Kagome had been the first demon to not die instantly at her hands. The miko had really given her a lot of trouble, and possibly even embarrassed her in front of her clan members; after all, she was known for quick and vicious kills, but Kagome had taken quite a while to kill.

But it was over.

Kagome was dead; drowned by her blood.

"_There's no way she survived that…" _Tami thought as she began to call back her blood. _"She was probably dead a few moments after my blood hit her…" _Her blood was like acid, after all. Only the grounds that they were on would not suffer when the liquid touched it.

When all of her blood was back inside of her body, she heard light gasps and chatter emerge from the on-lookers. She was confused as to why until she turned around — there was Kagome, sitting back on the ground with the single arrow that she had, positioned on the bow, and ready to be shot.

"How?" Tami questioned aloud. And then her eyes honed-in on the softly-colored barrier that was around her. _"She's stronger than I thought." _

"Don't underestimate me." Kagome said. She filled the arrow with her miko energy — light-purple flames beginning to surround it — and she pulled the arrow back; ready to release the arrow and shoot it.

Tami scoffed.

"That doesn't hurt me." She said as she made no move to try and block the arrow.

Kagome's open eye narrowed. "We'll see about that." She released the object and it quickly pierced through the air and effortlessly flew towards Tami.

Tami was in the middle of rolling her eyes — _"I already told the bitch that they don't fucking affect me… Stupid girl."_ — when the arrow pierced her chest. Her eyes widened as she felt her skin begin to burn. _"W-what the hell?!" _She grit her teeth as she felt the burning sensation begin to eat away at her skin. When her hand went-up to pull the arrow out of her body, she hissed as it instead burned her palm harshly; it was purifying her.

"You bitch!" Tami screamed-out in pain and annoyance as the arrow continued to disintegrate her skin.

Kagome held back the urge to smile victoriously. The battle still wasn't over. All she had managed to do was _successfully _hit Tami once, and the demon was still alive, standing, and ready to continue to try to kick her ass.

"_But it's a start…" _She thought as she quickly looked around the area. Tami's blood was now completely gone and the area was open once again. As she continued to scan the battlegrounds, her eyes landed on the quiver. She thanked god that it was still there, open, and that all of the arrows were still inside. _"I just need to grab them. And with those remaining arrows, I can finish this — I can do this!"_ With her eyes set on the supplied quiver, the miko began to run for it, quickly. She passed Tami in an armored blur, and didn't focus on the demon as she kept her goal in mind. _"I can end this… I can win!"_

Tami turned her head to look at Kagome. Following a straight path in front of the miko, she determined that Kagome was going for the supplied quiver.

"_Damn wench!" _Her fury burned as Kagome managed to grab onto the quiver, and continued to create more and more distance between the two. With her anger boiling, she began to change once again.

Giant black and torn wings sprouted from her back. They were as wide as Tami's height. They resembled bat wings, but had the edges slightly torn and there were even a few holes and scars on the wings, but do not believe that they interfered with how fast she was able to fly. The mask around her eyes changed slightly white as some of its black color covered more of her face; down to the end of her nose. Her black eyes began to literally bleed dark red.

"_I've had enough of these damned games. Time to fucking end this shit!"_

Channeling some of her energy into her weapon, the blades began to take on a black tint; until they were no longer steel-colored, but a dark grey. The edges were now bordered by a light dusting of red.

She opened her wings and was quickly lifted off the ground as she began to fly — without any hindrance — towards Kagome. Her weapon was raised above her head, the long blade pointed downward; with the tip in the perfect position to dig into some skin and cut it as if it were butter.

Kagome, sensing the terrifying demonic aura, turned her head to look back at Tami. Her heart skipped one slow, terrifying beat as her eyes took in the demon's new appearance.

"_Oh my god!" _She screamed in her mind as she took in the more powerful-looking demon. _"What happened to her?!" _

Filled with more fright than she had ever experienced in her lifetime, Kagome turned her head back around and sped-up. She thought about trying to turn around and shoot an arrow at her, but Kagome had a feeling that her arrows would be less-effective than before.

Tami looked horrifying.

The demonic aura that she was now giving-off was probably the strongest that she had ever encountered. There was no doubt in her mind that if she tried to turn around and shoot an arrow at the demon, her skull would be split-in-two in the second it took to release the arrow.

"_Too risky…" _Kagome thought with a sickening feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. _"Something else… I need to figure-out something else—"_

"Die wench!" Tami abruptly screamed as she moved her weapon forward; the red outlining it shining as a crescent-shaped pulse of energy began to continue to move forward — aimed perfectly at the miko. "_Sekishingetsu_!" **(a/n: **_**Sekishingetsu**_** = "Red Crescent")**.

Kagome's automatic reflex was to duck behind something — anything. That's why she got to the ground, and hid behind the first thing that was in her way and could provide some sort of protection. The action was a blur.

She had no clue what she had ducked behind until she felt a feeling of extreme fright and surprise, in the back of her mind.

"_Wha—"_ And then her eyes widened as a familiar scent hit her nose. She felt her body stiffen for a second before something was triggered inside her body. And suddenly, it was as if she was looking at the world through a different view.

Despite hiding from it, she could see the energetic red crescent coming directly at her. She could feel fear, surprise, and a desperate urge to flee — restrained.

It was an odd sensation, but she felt her body begin to automatically move. For a few seconds, her vision blurred. Her senses dulled and the only sound she could hear was rushing blood and a stern, and somewhat frightened, _"Stop!"_

Not a few seconds later, she felt the skin on her right hand feel immense pressure. Her entire arm began to shake as her muscles strained to push something back. She didn't know what it was. All she knew was that there was a force telling her to keep pushing. To not allow whatever it was that was in her hand, to move any further…

"_**Don't move back… save her…"**_

Kagome ground her teeth against each other as she felt herself begin to be pushed back by whatever it was that she was fighting against. Bringing her other hand forward, she dug her heels into the ground and continued to apply more force to her movements.

"_**If you fail… she dies… Don't let her die." **_

"Gah!" Kagome groaned; having immense difficulty with the task at hand. _"What's going on… what am I doing?" _She couldn't help but think as she felt her palms begin to burn. Then, a moment later, there was a giant burst in her hand and she screamed. _"What's going on?!"_

The onlookers couldn't help but gasp as they continued to watch Kagome hold back the _Sekishingetsu_. They were surprised at the fact that she could hold it, and was actually stopping it in its tracks. The move was made of pure energy — it couldn't be held as if it were solid. And yet, Kagome was able to do so. She held the pure energy with all of her strength, and was successfully keeping it from hitting their heiress.

Where her glowing soft-purple claws met the red crescent, violent red sparks formed as the two entities tried to push the other back.

They expected, any second now, for the new demon to falter and get hit by the move — an attack that would surely kill her. But they were surprised — wordless, confused, shocked, and dumbfounded — when they watched the complete opposite happen.

They all watched with wide eyes as Kagome managed to push the wave back with full-force, and force it to move back towards Tami. Tami, who had been watching the spectacle with nothing but unadulterated shock present on her face, was taken by pure surprise when she finally realized that her own attack was being thrown at her.

"_Holy sh—"_

She had no time to finish her thought as the energy that her attack gave off, made her skin prickle. Trying to deflect it, she let out a gasp of shock as she felt her scythe fly out of her hand. The power was so immense, she fell back on her back. Raising her hands to cover her head, she shielded herself from the rubble that flew into the air as her _Sekishingetsu_ struck the ground. _"Son of a bitch!"_

As the shower of earth began to lessen, she felt her hair stand on end as her body automatically sensed a deep demonic aura. Scrunching her eyebrows, she lifted her head; her eyes widened in surprise.

Kagome was breathing heavily. Her right hand was covered in visible, lavender-purple colored energy; her claws extended and sharp. The scent of Kagome's blood reached Tami's nose, and it wasn't long before she spotted the long streak of red going down Kagome's arm, and the tiny droplets falling onto the floor.

She couldn't help the smirk.

"_That little bitch…"_

But the biggest surprise came when Kagome lifted her head. Her hair fell around her eyes — that were no longer their regular steel-gray color, but a dark, burning red color that was shade darker than that of _Sekishingetsu_. And then she spoke.

"Stay away from my mother." Kagome said in a deadly voice, as she made direct eye-contact with Tami. It wasn't the sweet, timid voice that Tami had been hearing throughout the entire fight, but a voice that was stern, a little lower, and quite… animalistic. The blood-using demon raised an amused eyebrow.

"_Interesting…" _She thought.

Slowly Tami raised herself from the ground. The sage-in-training was smooth with her movements as she began to make her way to where Kagome stood, in a protective stance in front of Yayuki. She noticed how Kagome's body tensed as she got closer and closer; as if she were ready to attack.

She smirked; showing off her pointiest fangs that protruded from the side of her lips. "Calm down." She said as she stood a foot away from Kagome. "I won't hurt you."

"What do you want?" Kagome asked fiercely. Tami smirked.

Without a word, and swiftly, she grabbed onto Kagome's bleeding hand. Before the miko could do a thing, Tami had Kagome's hand near her mouth, and stuck her tongue out. Kagome froze as Tami's tongue began to run itself over the wound; effectively licking up the blood, and cleaning her hand.

Her red eyes returned to normal.

"Ah!" She shrieked. "What are you doing?!" She loudly asked. Releasing her hand, Tami looked at Kagome. She licked the corner of her lips before responding.

"Consider that my _Seal of Approval_." She stated with no emotion in her pitch black eyes — mimicking a black hole, perfectly — before using her claws to swipe through the material binding Yayuki (effectively releasing the heiress), turning around, and walking away from the petrified miko.

Kagome watched as Tami grabbed the separate pieces of her weapon, and left the battleground.

Her body was still shaking.

"She approves of you." Kagome gasped and turned around. But she calmed her rapidly beating heart when she saw that the one who was speaking to her was Yayuki.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Tami has done that to only a handful of demons. It is her way of showing that she accepts the demon as a member of the clan. For her to do that to you is a great reassurance, Kagome-san. If Tami respects you, then surely other demons will." Yayuki clarified.

But Kagome didn't look any less traumatized by what had happened to her, than before Yayuki's explanation.

"But did she really have to do that?" Kagome asked. "I mean: couldn't she have just said that she respected me, or congratulated me or something?" She stated. Her comment caused Yayuki to let out a brief laugh; her mouth covered by the sleeve of her kimono.

Kagome looked at her strangely.

"I am very sorry Kagome-san, it is just that you reactions are quite humorous — although I do understand why you would be unnerved by Tami's behavior. She is one of the oddest demons of the clans, and has quite a bloody fetish." She stated.

"I can see that." Kagome said. She shivered as a wind blew and cooled the saliva that was on her hand. It made her feel disgusting.

"Excuse me, Yayuki-hime…" At the sound of the soft voice, Yayuki turned her head around to look at who was speaking to her. She found herself staring at one of Akuma and Tenshi's personal servants.

"Yes?" Yayuki asked.

"The Elders would like a word with you." The black-haired demon stated.

"Must it be now?" She asked. She really would much rather check on how Kagome was doing, than go have Akuma chew her out about her earlier interference. She could hear the little Elder screaming at her now: _How dare you sacrifice your life for a fake demon?! Have you lost your mind, Yayuki?! _

"Yes." The demon answered with assurance in her voice. Yayuki mentally sighed.

"Very well then… Haru! Jun!" She called. In record time, the two female demons were on the field and standing beside Kagome.

"Yes Yayuki-hime?" They asked in unison.

"Take Kagome-san back to her room. Allow her to wash her hand, and tend to her wound, but do not bathe her. However, do take the armor off of her body, and give her a robe to wear." She stated.

"Yes Yayuki-hime." They both said. "Come Miss Kagome." Haru said as she began to pull Kagome in the opposite direction of where Yayuki stood. But Kagome resisted going with them.

Her body hesitated in following them for a moment; telling her not to leave Yayuki's side. _**"Don't move…" **_It whispered.

"Go with them Kagome-san. I assure you that I speak to you, later." Yayuki said to her softly. While she still felt as if she didn't want to go, Kagome nodded her head and began to follow the two demons out of the battlegrounds.

Momentarily she glanced back at Yayuki, but found that she was already following the female demon to the other side of the battleground.

One question entered her mind: _"What's going on?"_

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><p>End! To be honest, I had <em>a lot <em>of this written a _long time ago_! But I got stuck on a part and gave-up on it for a little while. Finally I took it out, and managed to finish. What do you all think of the battle? Of the chapter? Was it to your liking, or do you think things could've been different — better? I know that many of you were hoping for a super demon-Kagome-powered moment, and I _hope _that you found it, somehow, in this chapter.

Next chapter: The results of the battle. Did Kagome pass or fail? What will be the aftermath of her performance? Plus, her demon form. I know you've all been waiting to learn what it is, and next chapter you will wait no more.

Until next time! And please, please, _please_ review!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	8. Judgment

Hello all. I know that it's been a while since I updated, but bear with me. I've got a lot going on now — especially a new, personal project that I had to gather the nerve to ask for. But I did, and now I have to commit myself to that. However, I do think of my stories, of what I'll put into the next chapter, and of how I'm going to take the plot. I know that many of you are wondering:

a) What does Kagome's demon form look like?

_And_

b) How is Kouga thrown into this?

And I am happy to say that in _this chapter _these two questions _will_ be answered. Further questions will be answered by the end of the story. Anyways, enough of this note. Read please.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha _characters. I only own my own, personal characters and the plot.

Enjoy! ^^

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><p><span>The Demonic Flower<span>

_**Chapter 8: Judgment**_

***By Chibi Star Vamp***

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><p>There was no hiding the nervousness in her stomach as she followed the special attendant to the light-brown-wooded fusuma. She was certain that all of those who merely glanced at her could see how uncertain she was of the situation.<p>

But how could she _not _feel nervous?

After all, she had gone against Akuma's wishes — she interfered in the battle. She knew that she shouldn't have, part of her said so. She knew that she had done an outrageous thing that could possibly cost her everything. Yet that newly discovered part of her said, _'You did the right thing.'_ She hadn't been an idiot — she had done what was needed to do — she had saved the life of Kagome-san, her daughter. Any mother would agree with her — or so she hoped.

She nonchalantly swallowed down the lump forming in her throat; making sure that others would not be able to physically see just what a nervous wreck she was.

The door was less than a foot away, and the other female attendant had her hand on it, ready to open it.

She breathed in through her nose. Attempting to calm herself.

"_At least Kagome-san is alive… that is all that matters." _She thought. The fusuma slid open, and her eyes immediately landed on the dark-haired female that sat at the head of the low table; her arms hidden in her kimono, and a frown on her pudgy face.

Her gaze stayed on Akuma as she entered the room, and the door slid silently closed behind her. Moments passed before Akuma finally lifted her head, and looked at her.

Already she could tell the conversation would be unpleasant.

Locked in gazed of ice-blue and viridian-green, the two fought with their looks. There was a sense of intimidation that Akuma was providing, but she willed herself not to back down. A shield went over her eyes; she would not allow that elderly little girl to get under her skin.

Akuma clearly saw this, and exhaled silently. Her eyes closed once again, and she watched as the elder seemed to ponder what to say.

The tension in the room only grew.

A silent war was raging in the air, and none of the other demons had the nerve to try and play _Peacemaker_. Why would they? They've seen what Akuma does to a person when they anger her — she is an unstoppable force that could very easily, personally, send them directly to Hell.

Trying to get in her way was a _death sentence_.

But that did not mean that, in their hearts, they did not wish to stop the demon from destroying the heiress. After all, they all knew that a demon such as her did not deserve the cruel fate that was to come. She had always been one of the best demons, a true role model, and now she was going to suffer the worst death imaginable.

_Forgive us…_ Their eyes whispered to her. Yet it went unacknowledged. Her eyes were set-in-stone on the dark elder.

"_I accept my fate." _She resolved in her mind. _"She can do with me what she wants — as long as Kagome-san remains safe, and can become a part of this clan. Allow her guidance in this world. That is my dying wish."_

"How dare you."

The voice came so abruptly, that it actually caught them all off guard. Immediately all of their eyes locked onto the youngest of the elders. The little dark-purple-haired female raised her head and opened her eyes; they were ablaze.

"How dare you disobey an order." She stated.

She shifted. "I did what I had to."

"Betraying your clan for an outsider is _not what you had to do_ — it is what you _wanted to do_." The elder clarified. The deadly intent in her eyes slightly intimidated her, she will not lie, yet it was not enough to get her to drop everything she had built-up.

She would fight until the end.

"You may believe that…" She started; gaze like steel, voice as strong as ice. Her head was even tilted the slightest bit upward, symbolizing that, currently, the elder was below her and could not strike her down as easily as she believed. The little girl easily caught-on and frowned deeply at this. "…but you are wrong. There is a very thin line between what is right and what is wrong, and sadly, for you, it became blurred."

"Explain." Akuma said; momentarily stunning her.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Explain yourself. What makes you believe this?" She hadn't expected this. Of all the things that she expected Akuma to do, to 'e_xplain her reasoning in further detail'_, had never been one of them. She'd only prepared herself for the basics; not an analysis on her analysis.

But she, like any quick-thinking demon, easily adapted to the situation. There had been a theory to Akuma's actions that she had been mentally debating on, throughout the fight. Perhaps now was a good a time as any to see if it was applicable…

"Your mother." She stated. It was odd — the room seemed to grow further silent, and yet even more violently vulnerable than before.

There was no doubt that no one had expected her to speak of such a thing. The founder of the clan was rarely spoken of. The demons preferred not to mention her, often, due to how she was a very sensitive topic — especially in the presence of the two children whom she left in her wake.

So for her to utter, so openly, the topic in front of the elders… why, she was further digging her grave.

"My mother?" Akuma asked.

"Yes… your mother." She stated. There was a certain level of confidence in her voice that had not previously been there. But she knew that it was false; inside, she was slowly starting to shake.

"Explain." She uttered, once again.

"Your mother, like Higurashi-san, is a miko…" She stated softly, slowly, stoically. The girl's eyes narrowed further; surely not liking her comparing the new blood to the face of the clan — her mother. "…And I have noticed throughout the years that you are quite sensitive when a topic emerges that involves a miko. In my opinion, the reason why you were so harsh to Higurashi-san is because she reminds you of something that your mother had once been — of dark memories. A miko becoming a demon… The story sounds familiar, does it not?" She questioned.

She could feel the area slowly begin to grow more denser. The air was thickening, and there was a drop in pressure. _"Do not back down… do not let her intimidate you." _She thought; her eyes momentarily glancing black fog that dissipated in the air.

Her skin prickled; a shiver running down her spine.

"Interesting explanation…" Was finally said; cutting through the silence with a sharp blade — however, she found that the silence was much less frightening than when words were spoken. She currently preferred it. "You have quite the nerve for saying such a thing. Comparing that low-level miko to my mother… there is no comparison. No similarity. My mother was a pure miko. A woman who healed many — from royalty to civilians, mikos to monks, humans and even demons… She _cannot _be compared to the amateur and _how dare you even __think__ that she can_!" Akuma's hands roughly smashed into the wood of the table, and caused it to crack a little.

The air was growing thicker, around her, and more and more little wisps of black fog were starting to circle her. She knew that the ice had just grown thinner.

"That is not what I am saying—" She tried to explain, but was unsuccessfully able to do so.

"No. That is _exactly _what you are saying. You are saying that just because that mutt dabbles in my mother's work, that she can be compared to my mother and it is because of these similarities that my test was so difficult. Foolish girl." She held back her gulp of nervousness. "My mother is _incomparable_. That mutt is no true miko — a guppy in a sea is more like it."

"You want to know of_ my theory_, Heiress?" Her relationship was growing weaker, with the elder. Calling her by her title was a sign of that. Slowly, Akuma would forget who she was… and that would be it. "I believe that _you _were the one blinded by your relationships in life. I believe that you allowed your head to be taken away, and mindlessly did what you pleased. Have you forgotten your absence?" Akuma questioned; an emotionless look on her face. She held back the urge to frown. "You were gone for moons. The clan was left without a certain level of guidance. Are you aware that a band of rogue warriors attacked the village that _you _were assigned to protect? Did you know of the casualties that occurred?" The guilt was starting to eat away at her heart — her resolve. "A mother gave birth to her child on that night, and died not a moment after. That baby was ripped limb-from-limb, and fed to the beasts of those warriors…"

"_Oh god…" _She thought as she continued to hear of what was being said. It was tearing away at her heart.

"It did not even have the time to inhale its first breath, before it was killed…" Akuma stated. By then, the elder knew that she held the heiress' string in her hand. Now all she had to do was cut it… "And why did this all occur? Because you let your personal feelings get in the way of your judgments. _Not once _did it occur to you to come back to the clan, and tend to your issues here. Whatever it was that you deemed so important to _abandon _those people for, could have been resolved here — by someone _else _who _did not _have to tend to a village..."

"Do you still believe that what you did, out there, was right, Heiress — to disobey your clan, and cause another casualty? Not to mention that this time, it was _your life_ on the line. With your death comes those of many — foolish girl." She stated.

She wouldn't deny the fact that she wanted to cry.

She hadn't known… she hadn't known that such a thing occurred in her absence. She had been too occupied with her personal mission to even consider the wellbeing of those whom she had been assigned to care for. Those poor villagers… because of her selfishness — because of her allowing her mind to be blinded by her heart she had brought so much grief upon those people…

"_I… I…" _She thought in her mind. _"What… have I done?" _

The elder smirked.

She could read it so easily on the heiress' face — her eyes. Her facial expression spoke volumes. And she knew, ever so clearly, that she had won. The heiress understood — saw the error of her ways. Slowly, she was crumbling inside and would very soon apologize for what she had done, and the clan would be rid of that fake-miko, by sunset.

It pleased her.

"I…" The soft voice came from the conflicted heiress as she continued to register what had been told to her. She was now visibly shaking. "I… am sorry…" She said.

Checkmate.

"I know you are, and that is why—"

"No. You misunderstood." The heiress clenched her fists, and she raised her once-fallen head. She looked at the elder directly in her green eyes. "I was not apologizing to you."

"Oh?" Akuma asked.

"I was apologizing to the souls of those gone… to that mother and her child… to that village whom I had unknowingly abandoned. I beg their forgiveness for breaking my promise to always protect them, and I swear that I shall forever honor their graves…" She stated securely. "However, I am not apologizing for disobeying your orders. While, yes, I had interfered in the battle, I do not regret it. I am happy that Higurashi-san is alive. I am not ashamed of my loyalty to my heart. I will forever be burdened by my actions, but I will not allow say that I disagree with what I did. Yes. I was emotional, and allowed my judgment to be clouded — however…" She paused a moment to strengthen the look of hardness in her eyes. They were alight with a certain sense of blazing fire that stated that she would not be taken down so easily. "However, that does not take away from what I did."

"I managed to save the life of a fellow demon — with assistance, of course. I have also managed to save the life of my daughter… The rewards are more-than-pleasing, easily sufficing all of those who share the same bonds as I… Besides, the death of that village is not entirely my fault…"

Green began to sharpen. "What do you mean?"

"Why, I am certain that the unfortunate event occurred moons after my departure. I suspect at least a month's time passing before it occurred — by then, _surely_, the clan knew that my return would not be swift…" Black outlined the green. "And yet, when the rogue warriors attacked the village, the clan did nothing to try and aid the villagers in my absence… And you have _the nerve _to blame it all on me."

The wisp of black that encircled her body was not a good sign. She felt it press down on her waist before it disappeared. The threat was growing.

"You have responsibilities… do not expect that they will be taken on by others just because you are absent."

"That would be correct if I had been gone for a few days, however, it must have been a while before that incident occurred — by then, the clan should have provided a system that would ensure all of my responsibilities were taken care of. Yet it did not. And who do you believe is at fault?"

"Enough of this." Akuma sharply stated; ending the conversation. "Your points are invalid." She was about to say something, but the elder cut her off. "That is something to be discussed of later… You have been brought here to debate whether the mutt—"

"I would appreciate it if you stopped calling my daughter a _mutt_. Your mother surely never did that when you were born…" If she wasn't already waist-deep in frozen water, she certainly was now.

A low growl.

"_Heiress_." Akuma warned. She remained still. Not even moved by the unhidden hint that was in the tone. Suddenly, she was feeling braver and more confident. Why? Well, it was simple: Akuma changed the topic.

"Now, as I was saying…" The elder sent her a pointed glare; she didn't faze. "Come. Sit."

She was confident in her movements as she moved from her spot, and walked through the black wisp in front of her as she made her way to the cracked, wooden table. She elegantly lowered herself onto the cushion that had been vacant until now, and she met the gaze of the elder.

"You may present your case." Akuma stated.

Feeling more like herself, Yayuki cleared her throat before once again speaking.

"As I am certain that you all have seen—" She was so glad that her voice was strong, and that she was very confident in her words. It calmed her. "—Higurashi-san has many talents. Her skill in arrows is outstanding, and her reflexes are sharp and precise — her body moves on its own when it comes to her being injured. Then there are the facts that she can form barriers so quickly, and their potency is very effective. We have all, once, tested our barriers against Shi-san's blood, and they are not very effective. However, Higurashi-san's barriers are the best."

"I agree that the girl has exemplary skills…" Yamuhira, her mother, said after she stated her opening argument. "While her reflexes are not necessarily applicable to the situation, her mastery in the art of archery can easily be used to our advantage. I have seen a great deal of warriors wield a bow and arrow, but never like her."

"I agree." Her husband, Ikoroku, said. "If she were to join the clan, we could have her teach her techniques to our warriors, and their aim would become more precise and accurate. It would be much easier to defend a village if most of the attackers had been disposed of by long-range, well-aimed arrows." He said.

"However, that is just offense — we must not forget the defense." Tenshi said. "It is true. I, personally, have tested one of my barriers against Shi-san's blood — a terrible fail." She stated with a bit of an embarrassed smile on her face. It relieved some of the tension in the air. "My surprise when I saw Higurashi-san's barrier hold its own against Shi-san, was more shock than I had ever experienced in my life. Her barriers are a powerful source of protection, and if we further develop her skill and study her techniques, our barriers will be just as good — if not better. Imagine the defense. We would no longer have to worry about protecting one of our own, in battle, if we were able to place them under one of her barriers. I doubt that they would be so easily broken by those… marauders." She stated.

"I will admit that she had a… good offense and defense, yet you all saw the flaws. Her mindset was not right, she was too busy running than fighting, and her barrier was weak." Akuma said.

"If I may be so bold as to disagree with you, please note that it had a _weak-spot_, not that it was weak as a whole." Yayuki said. "Higurashi-san does not seem to have much training, and that is why her techniques are flawed. However, with the right training, they will be developed to _perfection _and her… anchors will be fully removed of." She defended.

"And how do you suppose this will occur?" Akuma asked. "To do such a thing would require much work — dedication on her part, guidance, not to mention a training schedule, a trainer willing to help her — most likely a specialist in these areas — and a location. The battlegrounds here are already occupied."

"Correction: the _regular _battlegrounds are occupied." Yayuki said.

"Excuse me?" Akuma asked.

"Higurashi-san's demonic form was born using my essence, therefore she is also considered a high-ranked noble. Hence, she has access to the restricted areas of the clan — those used by the heads of the clan." She stated. She could tell her response did not sit well with the dark elder. However, the light one seemed to like it.

"Ah!" Tenshi gasped. "She is right. Higurashi-san _is _considered a noble since noble essence was used to _create _her." She stated. "However could we have missed that…?" She muttered with her hand and sleeve slightly covering her mouth; pondering.

"Not only that," Ikoroku picked-up. "But because of this, she also has access to the trainers that the First Estate uses. They are full specialists in nearly every battle category…" He said.

"I suppose you are right…" Akuma stated; not at all pleased with what was occurring. "Yet you all seem to have forgotten the fact that the trainers are all busy. The blue moon will soon rise, and the sages must be prepared for it — they are working overtime and surely have no time to take on another student…" She said.

"Right…" Tenshi said. "With no trainer, Higurashi-san's talents will be useless to us if they are not further developed. If she remains at her current level, there is only so much that we can do. After all, who's to say that an enemy demon would not learn of the weaknesses, and share them?" She said.

"If that were to happen, our cells would become vulnerable to attacks…" Yamuhira said.

"They would be defeated in battle if a large group of enemies attacked — then they would go on to the next group, and the next; until they arrive here and use whatever possible information they could have gained, to successfully attack us…" Ikoroku furthered the argument. His face showed dislike. He was slowly starting to believe that adding Kagome to the clan would deal more damage than do good.

Yayuki could sense the tide starting to turn, and immediately racked her mind for any possible solutions. _"Those darn trainers…" _She thought in her mind. If only they had more…

And that's when it hit her.

"Do not fret…" She said; immediately grasping their attention. "I have found a solution."

* * *

><p>The sun had set.<p>

The sky had turned into a mirage of reds, oranges, pinks and tones of yellows and gold as the large star began to further touch the horizon, and disappear beneath it. This she could clearly see from the view that the large window in her room, provided.

Kagome frowned lightly at the beautiful sight.

"_She's been gone for hours…" _She stated worriedly in her mind. _"What could be taking her so long? What could they possibly be talking about? Am I gonna stay or will I be forced to go — or worse? How did I do? Did I pass — fail? Ugh!" _She inwardly groaned. _"I can't take this not-knowing. __I need to know__!"_

Her stomach was positively overflowed with nervousness as time went on, and her thoughts continued to take a turn for the worse.

They went from her wondering what was being said, to her predicting the future. Already, the negative side of her (the more overwhelmingly dominant side of her) could see herself being denied entry into the clan, and killed where she stood. Her past gruesome sight-seeing had allowed her to envision her blood splattered on the walls, along with her limbs lying miserably on the floor.

She pictured the demon that she had earlier fought (what was her name again…?) licking the blade off her scythe, which she had used to kill her.

'_Delicious…' _She imagined the demon saying, and it caused her body to experience unpleasant shivers.

"_Disgusting…"_ Kagome thought as she continued to pace around the room. _"Then again, I wouldn't put it past her — she licked the blood off my hand for crying out loud."_ Briefly she glanced down at her right hand; her eyes landed on the faint scar that was there. (She was impressed by how fast it was healing). For a moment, she felt as if she was experiencing the moment once again, and she visibly shook her body; rotating her limps violently. "Gross…" She muttered aloud.

Even though after the battle, she had been scrubbed down graciously, she could still feel the demon's saliva on her. It was a disgusting feeling, and she wished that she could just forget about it, but that had never directly happened to her, and she didn't like it.

She honestly preferred it when demons licked blood off of blades.

For the umpteenth time, she sighed.

It'd been such a long time since she last saw Yayuki. She could still vividly see the heiress' back as she followed one of the elders' attendants. Briefly, her mind recollected the emotion that she had felt, at that time. It had been blank. That spot in the back of her mind that seemed to be connected with Yayuki's emotions, had held no emotion as she followed the woman to where the elders had gone.

And that worried her.

Was the situation really so dire that it requested one to be completely disconnected from their heart? Did she really have to hide her emotions, or risk something bad happening?

The thoughts caused Kagome's stomach to stir.

She could only imagine what might be occurring. What those demons might be saying about her. In her mind, she pictured Yayuki defending her. Yet that elder Akuma was slowly winning the argument. Then, a verdict: her death.

Kagome swallowed.

"_Have faith, Kagome…" _She told herself. _"Don't give up hope, just yet…" _She said.

As the moments passed, her mind continued to revolve around the same topics: her friends and the debate. She went through several situations with each topic, in her mind. The most common was that, just as the elders declared her to die, Inuyasha showed-up at the estate and fought his way through the demons.

He used his sword to easily fend-off the demons that roamed the estate walls, and eventually found her.

'_Inuyasha!' _She imagined herself shouting in surprise, just as he burst through the doors. His clothes would be lightly covered in blood, perhaps even a little torn, but he would show no hints of fatigue. _'You found me!'_

'_Idiot!'_ He'd shout at her; stomping in the room. _'Who the hell told you to get captured? Why the fuck do you have to be so __weak__?!'_

'_Hmph.' _She'd respond, crossing her arms. _'And to think I was actually starting to miss you — I take it back.'_ He'd growl. And it would be then that he grabbed her by the waist, and threw her over his shoulders. _'Hey! What are you doing?!' _She'd question.

'_We're getting out of here.' _He'd mutter as he made his way to the window; refusing to go through the door since he _knew _that other demons were headed their way.

'_Well… let me be on your back!' _She exclaimed. There was a light shade of red growing on her face, due to how he carried her. She couldn't remember the last time she had been handled that way, as if she were a rag doll. And she didn't appreciate it. It made her angry that he was treating her like all those other demons…

'_Not happening. You won't be able to hold on while wearing those stupid clothes — why the hell are you dressed like that, anyway?!' _He'd exclaim.

She'd huff. _'I'm a princess. They worship me here.' _She'd say. And just like she expected, he'd only grow angrier.

'_Who'd be crazy enough to worship you?!' _He'd ask.

She would be ready to rebuttal, when the shouts of demons reached her ears. She would feel Inuyasha's hold tighten on her as he jumped through the window.

'_Inuyasha, slow down!' _She'd shout.

'_Shut up! I'm trying to save your life, here!' _

They'd continue like that until he got her safely out of the area, and brought her back to the others. There, she'd reunite with Miroku, Sango and Shippou, and tell them of everything that had happened to her.

Oh — she could just _imagine _his reaction once he found that she was not the same Kagome that he had seen, before. No. She would be a demon.

And her later displays of strength, agility, and intelligence would make him come to terms with the new her, and fall in—

She abruptly cut-off her thoughts.

A blush quickly grew on her face, and turned it a bright shade of crimson. She had let her imagination wander too far, and travel to a place that she's refused to acknowledge. At least… until she was _certain _that she wasn't being a foolish child and that her fantasy had the chance of becoming reality.

She gulped down as she reached the bed, and climbed into it. Like she had done so many times before, at home, she brought the pillow to her chest and snuggled against it. Her heart was pounding, and suddenly she felt upset.

"_Silly girl…"_ It mimicked his voice.

* * *

><p>"Kagome-san…" The soft voice was enough to lull her out of her sleep. Kagome began to stir as her senses picked-up on the new presence in the room. Her nose twitched as she inhaled the lovely scent, and her ears jerked as she heard the voice. Her body slowly began to awaken. "Kagome-san, please, awaken…" The soft voice said.<p>

She groaned.

"Grhm… hm…?" She said.

There was a soft laugh.

"Kagome-san, please awaken. It is important." As fingertips brushed through her hair, Kagome's eyes began to flutter open. After a few seconds, their steel-gray color was revealed and her vision was no longer blurry. Turning her head, she found that it was resting on cloth that surely did not belong to bed, and rotating it upward caused her to jump.

"Yayuki!" She exclaimed. She was greeted with the heiress' smile; one that she had grown fond of since it provided her such a sense of much-needed security and protection.

"Good evening, Kagome-san." Yayuki said. "I hope you rested well." She said.

Kagome smiled. "Yeah. I did." She began to sit-up on the bed. She found that her head had been lying on Yayuki's lap, and that the heiress had held her like she had once done to Inuyasha, when he fell ill. It was a little bit strange to have the role reversed, but that didn't mean that she minded. It was… nice. There was an outstanding sense of warmth and comfort.

"I am glad that you were able to have some rest, Kagome-san. Your body must still be fatigued from the battle." Yayuki said; her eyes exhibiting her worry.

Kagome shrugged. "A little. I mean, it hurt after the battle, but now the pain has kinda dulled." The demon's smile returned.

"Oh good. Your body is starting to heal itself." She said. Her statement caused Kagome to become surprised. Then, Yayuki's eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "If the pain has dulled… that means that you must be healed. Perhaps, you will no longer need to be wrapped in those bandages… Oh this is good news, indeed."

"Really? You really think I can finally take them off?" Kagome asked.

"Depends…" Yayuki said; somewhat stomping down on her flame of hope. "First, I have to have your body inspected… And now is a good a time as any. Haru, Jun…" Yayuki said softly. It was then that Kagome realized that the two attendants were standing on separate sides of the door.

Kagome noticed how they were dressed rather… exquisitely.

Haru had her beautiful pink hair down and falling to its full length; her petite waist. The locks were softly curled, and her bangs were pulled to the side. She was dressed in a beautiful yukata. It was the color of a deep purple, and held tiny imprints of golden leaves on it. The scent of roses and cherries was immensely on her, and Kagome saw that Haru's lips were painted a deep red, that contrasted and yet went well with her female yukata.

Jun, as well, was dressed differently. Her burnt-orange-colored hair was styled in a way where it seemed beautifully tousled, with tiny curls here and there. There was pair of chopsticks on either side of her head that held jewels hanging from their tips; reflecting the light in an exquisite way. Jun's yukata was a light, soft green color. Cherry blossom patterns were scattered about, with orange stems and leaves instead of green. Her face was also further-prettied by light pink lipstick.

Kagome looked over the two attendants with eyes wide with wonder. What were they so dressed-up for?

"Yes Yayuki-hime?" They asked; the smiles on their faces brighter than she had ever seen them. It only further grew her curiosity. What was going on?

"Just like we discussed, prepare Kagome-san for the night. We cannot have her simply dressed, like before — no. Make sure that she is… a vision. A _lovely _vision." She emphasized. "Remember: she is one of the Guests of Honor…"

"_Guest of Honor?" _Kagome thought. _"What does she mean by that?" _

"We will do nothing less, Yayuki-hime." Haru said. Jun nodded.

"Very good. Bring her by my room once you are finished with her." Yayuki began to stand from the bed, and Kagome saw how she was dressed in an all-white kimono that was bare. Odd. She'd never seen Yayuki in such a state of undress. What was going on? "Now, if you would please excuse me, I have preparations to attend to." She said.

"We will see you soon, Yayuki-hime." Jun said as she and Haru opened the doors and provided the heiress' exit.

"Goodbye until then." She said. And with that, she walked through the doors and her body was hidden by the fusuma. Alone on the bed, Kagome looked at the two attendants with confusion swirling in her eyes.

"What—"

"Forgive me for interrupting you, Miss Kagome, but we must hurry." Jun said.

"Huh? Hurry for what?" She asked.

"There is much to do." Haru said as she and Jun began to approach the bed, and thus her. "And we have so little time to do so. This is really a rather… sudden development." She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Please Miss Kagome, we must hurry or you will be late." Jun said.

Kagome was still heavily confused. Her mind was a mixture of questions. What was going on? Why was she suddenly being rushed? What did Yayuki mean by _Guests of Honor_? Was some sort of celebration going on? Or… was it her execution?

In her mind, she gasped.

That would make sense, she said to herself. _Guests of Honor _could very easily be a code for _(s)he who will be executed_. She'd flunked the battle, and now they were going to kill her because she had both seen and knows too much.

"_No Kagome, no." _She mentally scolded as she began to follow the attendant's orders, and stood from the bed. The robes that she had been dressed-in were a little disheveled, and she had a bit of a difficult time getting off of the bed. She got off, however, with the help of Haru. _"Don't think so negatively. If that was the case, they'd be cold and distant. They wouldn't be acting like this or—"_ She briefly paused to examine Haru and Jun, once again. _"—__look__ like this… whatever's going on isn't negative…"_

Up on her feet, Kagome momentarily silenced her thoughts and began to follow the two lovely-dressed demons, behind them.

The maidens led her out of her room, and took her the, now-familiar route, to the bathhouse. On the way, Kagome noticed how the demons in the hallways were scurrying about. Many of them were running from place to place, and some were even scrubbing the hallways down with cloths.

Vases full of fresh flowers were being placed on each table, and the portraits that hung were constantly fiddled with; even though they looked perfectly aligned to her.

She took note of how the hallway smelled fresher, cleaner, and the wooden floor held a polished shine to it. This became fully apparent to her when she almost slipped on the washed-down floor, and almost landed ungracefully on her butt. Luckily, Jun held quick reflexes and caught her just in time.

"Thank you." Kagome said; a light blush on her face due to the fact that she had almost embarrassed herself in front of so many people.

"You are welcome." Jun said.

"Miss Kagome, are you alright?" Haru asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine…" She said softly. "The floor's so smooth and slippery. Why is everything being cleaned?" She asked.

"Ah! That is because—" Haru quickly shushed the younger attendant with a fierce look in her ruby-like eyes. "Now now Jun…" She said. "We must not ruin the surprise. Yayuki-hime would become quite crossed with us."

"Correct. Forgive me..." Jun said with a somewhat saddened look on her face as they continued to walk.

"Hurry, hurry — we have lost enough time as it is, and I do not believe that Yayuki-hime would enjoy tardiness _now _of all times… She is in enough stress as it is." Haru said; dismissing Jun's almost slip-up.

This only fanned the flames of Kagome's puzzlement. Why was the current situation to be kept secret from her? Why was she not allowed to know what it was? Could it be… that it _was_, in fact, something bad; and that Yayuki did not wish her to escape before she learned of it?

"_Stop being an idiot." _She told herself as they walked through the large double-doors, and made it outside. The sky had now fully darkened and a myriad of stars was visible. _"If that was the case, why would she smile at you like that? Besides, you can trust her… right?" _Yet as she tried to feel Yayuki's emotions once again, and found nothing, she wasn't so sure. Why the stoniness? Why the secrets?

It was all starting to make her paranoid.

They reached the bathhouse in the few seconds that passed, and Kagome inhaled, deeply, the scent of fresh water lilies in the air. There were also hints of lavender and roses.

She liked the refreshing smells, but they only added-on to her curiosity of the situation. When they reached the changing room, she spotted large buckets of water waiting near the entrances, and saw servants going in and out of the hot spring area, removing and adding buckets of water.

What were they doing, she briefly wondered. But she had not time to debate on the display, as Haru and Jun guided her to the changing room, and handed her a towel to change into.

"Miss Kagome," Haru said before she entered the room. "Jun and I must attend to a few minor things back at your room, and a separate attendant will be with you during the bath. I hope this does not displease you." She stated.

"Oh no. That's okay. I understand." Kagome said.

"Thank you. We will see you when you return to your room." Haru said. She and Jun then gave her smiles before they departed. She wondered what it was that they had to do.

"_Calm down Kagome…" _She thought as she entered the changing room, and began to remove her clothing. _"In a few more minutes, I'm sure you'll get the answers." _Biting back the gnawing urge to ask all of her questions at once, Kagome finished the removal of her clothing, wrapped herself in the towel that she was given, and entered into the area where the host springs were at. Surprisingly enough, the water was dusted with rose petals.

_Clearly _this event that her two attendants had mentioned earlier was _very, very, __very_important. Otherwise, so much would not have been done to… prepare the estate, in a way.

"Miss Kagome…" A timid voice said as it caught her attention. It was soft, and hard to take notice of, but her sensitive hearing picked up on it, easily. Turning her head towards the sound of the voice, Kagome's eyes landed on an unfamiliar demon.

Her eyes scanned the female.

She was petite, and resembled the age of an eight-year-old little girl, from her time. Her hair was a lovely shade of soft, petal green, and it was tied back into a bun, and held a wavy texture to it. Her eyes were the same vibrant shade of red as Haru's, and she was dressed in what she easily recognized as a bathing kimono; a simple, white kimono. In her small hands was a bucket filled with bathing materials, along with a comb.

The little girl stood awkwardly as she addressed her. Her eyes kept darting from some unknown area, and back to her; however when they made contact with her own, her pale-skinned face was lit by a burning red blush

"Hello." She said softly; timidly. "M-my name is C-chie and I w-will be b-bat-th-ing you…" She stuttered-out.

Knowing that the girl was probably shy, Kagome gave her one of her largest smiles, and greeted her happily. She hoped that it did not frighten the sweet little demon. "Hello Chie." She said with kindness in her voice. "I'm glad to meet you."

"I-I am h-hap-py to meet you a-as well, M-iss Kagome… T-there has been m-mu-ch talk about you — it is an h-on-or…"

Kagome lightly blushed. She'd never heard someone say that it was an honor meeting her. That meant that she had quite the positive reputation. She was glad for that. Perhaps the results of her battle would not be as bad as she negatively predicted?

"That's sweet of you to say. Thank you." She said.

"Y-you a-re welcome." Chie softly said. Then she gestured with one of her small and slightly shaking hands, to the pool of water, and Kagome wasted no time in receiving the hint, and stepping inside. She sighed as she entered. The water was perfectly heated, and the smell of the fading roses added to the experience. She could feel her muscles relaxing and healing.

"_This is so nice…" _She thought. _"It's better than before…" _She laid her body against the plush set of cloth that Chie placed behind her back, and relaxed further into the water as the young attendant skillfully began to wash her.

Her movements were surprisingly full of confidence, despite her brittle personality.

In the midst of the bathing, Kagome was so close to dozing-off as the gentle strokes on her back unwound her muscles. Yes her earlier bath was pleasant, but Chie's work was amazing. She had never felt so harmonious in her lifetime. The moments of her bath allowed her to connect with the breeze, and the plant-life around her. She could feel the wind gently stroke the leaves, and the slight whisper in the air that it created.

She had never felt anything like it before. Suddenly her body was sensitive to everything around her, and she could feel the small vibrations that the moving rose petals created in the water. Where the hot water gushed in, she could feel it. The wind blowing across the water, she felt.

It was a peaceful thing. As if she had reached nirvana.

She knew that, any moment now, she'd fall asleep. Luckily for her, she was brought out of it when Chie dumped hot water on her head. Unluckily for her, she had been taking in a deep breath when the attendant had done so.

"Miss Kagome! I—I am so s-s-sorry!" Chie exclaimed as she immediately began to lightly pat on Kagome's bandaged back.

She pulled back the demon's hair from her face, and even lightly dabbed at it with a small white towel that she had placed at her side. She hoped that Kagome was not upset with her.

"It's alright." Kagome said after she had most of the water cleared. "It was an accident; besides, I shouldn't be dozing-off in a bath. My skin will start to shrivel." She said with a light laugh. Chie mustered a laugh herself (although it was clear that she was still upset over the situation), before she continued to wash Kagome's hair.

Fully awake, Kagome leaned back against the spring, and decided to keep her mind focused on taking in every changed detail of the hot spring, to ensure that she would not be subject to another abruptly-stopped-nap, once again. She took note of how there were lanterns lit, seemingly floating above the hot pools of water, and the peaceful atmosphere that it created.

She liked it, she concluded. And took joy in watching the way the candlelight bounced off of the water, and caused the liquid to shimmer beautifully.

Before long, Chie was done washing her and doused her head once again. This time Kagome made sure that she was prepared, and closed her mouth as the water was splashed on her head. Then she stood from the bath, and Chie helped her inside of the robe that she was to wear to her room. It was as she was removing the wet the towel from her torso that she noticed her body was not covered in bandages.

"Wha—when did I get them off?" She asked as she looked at her hand; the robe now tied around her waist. She examined her free hand. Without the wrappings, she could clearly see that her skin was paler than it had been, before. Her fingers looked longer with the long claws that had formed at their tips, and she was surprised by how polished and sharp they were.

"T-the bandages d-diss-solve in water w-when the b-body is healed…" Chie said to her, softly. Kagome was surprised. She'd never heard of bandages that did such a thing — yet it was clear to her, from the beginning, that the bandages were special. Still, it was her first time encountering such a thing.

"_Wow… I wish I could give some of these bandages over to Kaede. I bet they would really help her out…" _She thought. It would certainly allow Kaede to tend to other things, what with not having to worry about tending to a person's bandages.

"P-please come, M-iss Kagome. H-h-ha-aru-senpai and Jun-n-senpai a-are awaiting us…" Chie timidly said. Kagome stopped studying her hand, and pressing the tip of her fingers against the claw on her thumb. It was sharp, yet somehow not sharp enough to break through her skin.

"Right." Kagome said as she flexed her hand; like she'd seen Inuyasha do. She never understood why he did it, but now she did. It helped keep the blood flowing in her hand, and thus the movements remained easier.

She waited patiently for Chie to put everything in its proper place (telling the young girl that it was no problem when she apologized for taking so much time), and then silently followed her as she was led-out of the bathhouse, and taken back to her room.

There, she found herself very eager to look at her reflection. Currently, all she'd seen was her hand. And that was not much given as how her hand wasn't a large portion of her body. Now, she felt that it was about time that she'd seen the rest of her body. After all, who knows how long she's had those bandages wrapped around her.

She felt that seeing her body, was something that was overdue.

"_I wonder if I have any battle scars. Inuyasha doesn't seem to have any — will he consider me less-of-a-demon if my body isn't perfectly healed?"_ She quickly switched her emotions. _"Who cares? At least I'm a full demon and he's __not__. Even if my body has scars, I always have __that__ over him…" _

When she reached her room, and Chie slid the fusuma open for her, her eyes immediately landed on the kimono that hung from the wardrobe knobs; directly opposite of her.

It was the most lavish kimono she'd seen, by far.

The material was surely nothing less than silk. The way the candlelight placed in the room reflected off of it _assured _so. It was a beautiful, light pink color with a soft-yellow-colored obi. The print on it was of bright yellow flowers that had both the stems and leaves connected to it, in the color brown. The sleeves of it would surely go down to her waist, and the borders of the kimono were reflecting the light brilliantly, with the sparkles that were embedded into its fabric. (It was the first time she saw a glittered kimono).

She noticed how the symbol of the clan was printed on the left side of the kimono.

She was now fully convinced that whatever was occurring, was _definitely _something good. After all, why would they have her wear a kimono like that if they were just going to execute her? Why would they have her war their symbol, if they were just going to dirty it in blood?

Surely that was a disgrace, and not something to be done.

"_They wouldn't waste something like that on death."_

"There you are, Chie." Haru said as she spotted the two younger females. She finished polishing Kagome's matching shoes, and placed them at the kimono's side. "I hope that Chie bathed you well, Miss Kagome."

"I loved every second of it." Kagome said; not missing the light shade of pink appearing on Chie's face.

"I am pleased. You did a spectacular job, Chie." Haru praised.

"Thank you, Senpai." Chie responded. Her head was downcast, yet she tried her best to look at Haru as she spoke to her. It was a difficult task, though.

"Now, prepare yourself for this evening. I am certain that the elders would not be pleased if _you_, of all demons, attended the event unprepared." Haru said. Chie was part of a special group of demonic attendants that were specifically assigned to tend to the elders. Being as how she was the age they resembled, she was favored the most, by the elders.

"Right…" Chie said softy as she nodded her head. "E-excuse me then, Senpai. I hope to see you all there. G-goodbye." As silent as a gentle wind, the little female left the room.

Kagome's attention was then changed from the little girl, to Jun, as the demoness spoke. "Miss Kagome," Jun said. "I am so glad to see that your wounds have been healed." She was the first to comment on the lack-of bandages on Kagome's body. Kagome smiled as she looked down at her un-bandaged arms. The skin there seemed flawless. Perhaps it was?

"Thank you. So am I — it's great to not have them restrain me, anymore." She stated.

"Unfortunately, while it is good news that your body has healed, you must still drink your medicine, Miss Kagome." Jun said as she gestured to the wooden tray in the room, holding Kagome's special tea. The demonic miko cringed as she picked-up the oh-so-familiar smell of that infuriating tonic.

She honestly hated having to drink it so much; she'd done so each time before she left the room. But the two attendants told her that it was so her soul would stabilize inside her new demonic body. She'd only have to drink it for a little while…

"Right." Kagome said. She sighed unhappily as Jun poured the tea, and then handed it to her. "Exactly how much longer will I have to drink this?" She asked. She stirred the liquid inside by gently rotating the cup, and downed it in one, agonizing gulp. She immediately stuck her tongue-out. What she wouldn't give for some mouthwash.

"Only a few more days; it seems that your soul is accommodating itself well inside its new body." Jun stated. She took the cup from Kagome, and set it down.

The miko shook her head; trying to get rid of the shivers in her body from having to drink that tonic.

The two attendants held back their giggles. Kagome, to them, was one of the most amusing demons they'd ever seen. She has done quite a number of humorous things, but they would be rude if they laughed at her silliness.

"Well then, now that that is taken care of, let us get started in your preparations, Miss Kagome." Haru said. Jun nodded.

"Since you are now healed, after you place on your underwear, I will bind you breasts for you, Miss Kagome. I hope you do not mind, though…" Jun said.

"I don't mind at all." Kagome said. She was used to having her breasts bound for her. Yuksi had done so, many times, back at the mountains. "Thank you." She said with a smile as she began to walk to the bamboo-made three-panel divider that stood next to the large wardrobe, in the room. It was both high and wide, and it would not take much to hide her from behind it.

She got out of the robe, and her un-bandaged body caught her attention. She hadn't even seen a hint of what her new body looked like, in all the time she's spent there. After all, she's spent her last days as a living mummy. Now was the time to finally study her new demonic body, and all the features that it came with. (While she wasn't expecting grand changes, she knew that there would be a couple, and she wanted to know what they were).

Tilting her head downwards, she began to study herself.

She was still thin. Only, now there was a muscular tone to her stomach. Before, it had been completely soft, with no hints of muscle underneath. Now she could clearly see the outline of muscle on her stomach, and feel it as she ran her hands through. She was glad, however, that the muscle didn't get in the way. In fact, it worked with her figure, and didn't make her seem overly thin. It made her look… strong.

Placing her hands on her hips, she noticed how they seemed to be the same size. She really saw no difference. Her butt had not gotten bigger nor smaller. She was glad, though, since her new waist gave the illusion that her hips were bigger.

Her breasts, she found, were also the same size. They, like her hips, also hadn't changed in size and shape. She was glad, though. She preferred her body the way it was. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if she had to work with bigger breasts, or smaller ones. She was already used to her size and couldn't imagine having them changed.

However, her new toned waist did make her look curvier. Staring down at her body, she noticed how the muscles on her stomach accentuated her light curves, and defined them more.

Her legs seemed longer, even though she was certain that they weren't, and they were slim as well, but with muscle hidden underneath. She patted down on her legs; feeling the tight muscle beneath her smooth flesh. Briefly, Kagome wondered just how fast she could now run. Yes she had run before, at the battle, but she never paid attention to how fast she was going. She was itching to go run through a field — to race Inuyasha.

"_Maybe now I'll finally be able to keep-up with him?" _She thought as she remembered all those times she had to ride on his back since it was _clear _that she wouldn't be able to achieve his speed, on her own. Oh yes. She'd very much like to outrun the hanyou, at some point. It would only establish herself as a true demon.

Finishing her analysis of her new body, she saw that her feet were a little bigger than before. It was not by much, perhaps just a centimeter or so. However, she was certain that it was for practicality. Maybe bigger feet made it easier to land on things?

She sighed. _"At least they're not too big. I can handle these." _She thought; turning her feet from side-to-side. Overall, Kagome was pretty satisfied with her new demon body. It fit her quite while, and it wasn't too much for her to handle. She felt strong, surprisingly lightweight, and fast even though she had yet to put it to full use.

She honestly couldn't wait until she began learning how to use it to its full potential. She was certain that her new demonic body could do amazing things; things she'd dreamed of doing.

Her musings were abruptly stopped when Jun asked her if she was finished. Flustered, Kagome stumbled through a reassurance (somewhat of a fail), and quickly placed the cotton panties on. Then she gave Jun the okay and the older demon entered the covered area, and tied the _sarashi_ **(a/n: a long, winding strip of cloth — usually thick cotton — wrapped tightly around the midriff, up to the chest)** around her breasts.

When that was done, she blushed as she came-out of the divider. She hid her upper body slightly. Despite these two having seen her undressed — to an extent — she still couldn't help but be self-conscious about her body; especially since nearly all of it was no longer covered.

As usual, she stood on the pedestal. The two maidens complimented her on her body; saying that it fit her, perfectly. Kagome couldn't help but blush. So far, her body had received good reviews. Now all she needed to do was use it, well.

With Kagome atop the pedestal, Haru and Jun quickly began to grab the kimono's underwear and dress Kagome in it. Having done this earlier that day, Kagome knew what they were going to do, and made sure to stabilize herself atop the pedestal as they placed her inside the white cotton skirt and shirt.

The process seemed less time-consuming than before, and before long, they were placing the _actual_ kimono on her. Kagome loved how it glowed in the light of the candles that lit the room perfectly. Its color was extravagant, and the silk felt amazing against the skin of her neck as the kimono lightly brushed against it.

The two attendants fit it perfectly on her before wrapping the belts and obi onto it, and tying it in a special knot, just like earlier. Kagome then held onto Jun's hand as she and Haru helped her slip into the shoes. This time they were wooden, and not as completely smooth as before. She was glad for this. Last time, she always felt as if she was about to slip and fall due to the shoes' smooth surfaces allowing her socked feet to slide.

They then took her to the wardrobe.

"Do you wish to see yourself, this time?" Haru asked her as she took a seat on the bench.

Kagome didn't even think about it. "Yes." She responded.

Haru nodded her head, and momentarily left the area as she went to grasp a large, rectangular mirror. It looked quite heavy to her, but Haru didn't seem to have any trouble carrying it. She reached the wardrobe, and placed the mirror on a space of the wardrobe that held no items on it. When she had it steady, she released it.

Kagome looked at her reflection.

She gasped at what was reflected back at her.

The first thing she noticed was her hair. Just as she had predicted early-on, it was now shortened, incredibly, to the point where her hair rested against her scalp and barely held any length to it (perhaps an inch or two, max). Her bangs, however, had become slimmer and no longer covered all of her forehead, regularly. Instead, it swooped down to the side of her face and landed on the side of her right cheek. Briefly she blew at it; its movements were feather-like.

Next, she noticed how not only her body had slightly changed due to her new demonic blood, but her face, as well. While her lips were the same, her nose was a little more rounder than before. Its structure had changed in a way that allowed her to breathe more clearly, and she found that it changed her face, entirely. Her cheekbones were higher, and her eyes were more almond-like. Her eyebrows looked as if they had been professionally plucked into the most perfectly slim eyebrows she'd ever seen.

Her eyes, she noticed, had completely changed in hue. They were no longer their dark-brown color, but now a steel-gray color. It surprised her that they were no longer the color she'd had since birth. In a way, it made her not able to recognize her own face. Her eyes weren't brown.

She hadn't expected that.

But eclipsing her new eye-color, was her hair color. Just like her eyes, it was no longer dark-brown, but _white_! Her hair had been removed of all color until it was white. It was the most shocking thing she'd ever seen. Never mind her eyes being gray — that she could deal with, but now her hair was white.

It stole her breath from her lungs and held it prisoner.

Never would she have imagined her hair to be white. She could honestly say that she didn't think her hair color would change, at all. Yet as she continued to think about it, she found that… she liked it. It not only completely changed her image, but it would _certainly _get an entertaining reaction from Inuyasha.

Oh yes. She could see his face now — and it made her happy. In a way, it allowed her to fully take-in the fact that she was a demon. She was no longer that human Kagome with the normal appearance, but _demon _Kagome with white hair and gray eyes.

Her new look was the thing that made it official.

"Wow…" Kagome said. "My face… my hair…" She mumbled.

"You have taken on an appearance similar to Yayuki-hime, due to the fact that she was the one who transformed you." Haru explained in the mirror's reflection.

"_That explains the hair… and I guess the eyes followed." _Kagome thought. She briefly brought her clawed hand up to touch her hair. It was smoother than it had been, and she enjoyed that. However, she knew that it would take a while to get used to her new image. After all, she could barely register that this unfamiliar demon face was now her own.

She hoped she got used to it, though.

"Are you alright Miss Kagome? You seem a little… distressed." Jun said. She held a comb in her hand and was untangling Kagome's wet, white locks as she prepared to do the miko's hair; a style already apparent in her head.

"I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed. I mean: I never imagined that this could actually happen to me. I'm a demon. It's so… surreal." She confessed.

"I am sure that in time you will become fully accustomed to the new changes." Jun said. Kagome watched her as the maiden stopped brushing her hair for a few moments, and grabbed a white bowl filled with clear liquid. She added some to Kagome's hair using a brush, and then went over it with powder. She then used the brush to pull all of Kagome's hair back, and away from her face; including the long bang.

"I hope so." Kagome said as she tried not to move her head while Jun brushed back her hair.

"You will." Haru said assuredly. "Now, please close your eyes Miss Kagome." She stated. Kagome did as such, and Haru went about placing her in makeup.

The makeup session was surprisingly brief.

Only powder was applied to her face, and that was lightly dusted on so that it was hardly visible. Her eyes were left alone, while her lips were painted-over with a glossy, soft pink color.

When Kagome opened her eyes and saw this, she couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. Her skin looked absolutely flawless, and her lips color made them seem plumper and softer. Her hair was pulled and smoothed back entirely, and a row of flowers had been placed near her hairline, mimicking a headband. There was a tiny jewel placed in the center flower, and for a moment it seemed as if she was wearing a crown.

She looked beautiful. And yet, it looked so natural.

It didn't appear that she had the makeup caked on, heavily. It was a light dusting and was blended in with her skin so well, the makeup was transparent. She felt amazing in it. And she had to admit that she wouldn't mind wearing it, more often.

Yet her stunning appearance brought back the curiosity that she'd been harboring, inside, ever since she first spotted Haru and Jun after her nap. Just what was it that was occurring? Clearly it had to be something special — otherwise she wouldn't be dressed that way. Whatever it was that was going on, it was _definitely _something huge.

She just wondered how huge, and what it was.

"_I'll learn eventually." _She said to herself; assuredly.

"Come Miss Kagome." Haru said as she fixed some minor parts of Kagome's hair. She would not stop until it was perfect; not that Jun's work was bad. She was just a perfectionist at heart. When she got the aimed result, she said, "Yayuki-hime is awaiting you."

* * *

><p>The doors to Yayuki's room, Kagome saw, were some of the largest she'd seen. They were wider than those of her bedroom, and two female demon guards dressed in protective armor stood on each side of the entrance. The women carried sharp, polished weapons that could very easily cause much damage, in very little effort. The women's eyes were cold and stoic, and they intimidated Kagome as she got closer to them.<p>

But to her surprise, the women bowed their heads at her; catching her off-guard, completely. "Higurashi-san…" They said in unison.

"Uh… hello…" Kagome said. She was unsure of what she was to do. She didn't quite understand why these women were bowing at her. What had she done to deserve it? And how was she supposed to handle the situation? Luckily for her, it was brief as the two women straightened their spines.

"We will watch over her from here." Said the woman on the right, to Haru and Jun. The two demonic attendants nodded their heads at the women. They were not hesitant to leave Kagome in their care, knowing that there _was _a reason why they were personally assigned to protect their heiress. Kagome was well-protected.

"Very well. Goodbye Miss Kagome." They said. She and Jun both gave her smiles before they walked down the hallway. Kagome's attention was brought back to the two demonic guards, as they opened the fusuma.

"Please, go in." They stated in unison.

Kagome nodded and entered the bedroom.

Immediately, she spotted a demon standing beside the large bed dressed in beautiful silks.

The short white-haired demon was dressed in a dark blue kimono, with no print on the skirt of it. The kimono's obi was a vibrant green color, and the demon's white hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, with a string of beads attached to the side of her head as a decoration. The ends were tied into her hair, and formed a drapery-like scene above her pointed ears. Her face was lightly dusted, just like her own, and her lips were left bare, but glistened with moisturizer.

The demon looked somewhat unfamiliar dressed in that attire, but there was no mistaking those warm brown eyes that she held.

"Yuksi." Kagome said; a smile breaking on her face.

A smile broke on the demon's face. "Hello Miko-san." She said softly. "It is very good to see you, once again." Yuksi said.

"It's good to see you too." Kagome stated; getting closer to the demon. "Where've you been? I kinda expected to see a lot of you while I was here." She said.

"Forgive me, Miko-san. I too wished to accompany you in your time here, but my hands were bound to other things." Yuksi said. "But that is of no importance. At the moment, what is important is that Yayuki-hime has asked me to escort you to her current location. She very much wishes to speak to you in privacy." Yuksi said.

"Okay. Where is she?" Kagome asked.

"Follow me, please." Yuksi said. Kagome did as such, and walked behind the white-haired demon as she led her through the fusuma (which the guards outside somehow knew when to open), and through the mazes of hallways.

Moments later, they had left the estate's wooden hallways behind, and the moon was now their only source of light, as they were walking down a path that led further and further from the large set of buildings. Clearly when Yayuki wanted privacy, she wanted _privacy_.

Their trek seemed endless, as they headed down a hill and passed an area that looked burnt, and Kagome only knew that it was almost finished when she spotted a beautiful lake, out in the distance.

Yuksi led her down the hill that took them to the lake, and Kagome spotted a lone figure there, with bright, white orbs surrounding it. She easily recognized the objects as souls. And for a split second she thought that Kikyou was around the area. But the more logical side of her told her that if _that_ were the unpleasant case, the souls would be carried by the serpents that delivered them to her.

And at the moment, it was just the souls — no collectors.

The souls disappeared as they went in front of the figure. And when the last soul was gone, there was a large flash of light before the spiritual glow fully disappeared. Kagome and Yuksi stopped walking, standing silently as distance away as the figure stood, and turned towards them.

Yayuki stood meters away from her, dressed in black kimono with a gray obi. The kimono held more layers to it than it normally would, and seemed a little heavy against her skin. The sleeves of it were long, reaching down to past her knees, and it looked as if Yayuki were wearing a coat of the clothing.

Her white hair was wrapped up completely into a single bun, and a decorative piece of jewelry stuck-out from the middle of the bun — a large fan with the clan's insignia printed onto it; similar to the one her father had worn, that morning. Her face held simple makeup to it with a light dusting of white, and yet bold, red lipstick.

She looked beautiful, as always.

"Hello Kagome-san." Yayuki said.

"Hello Yayuki." Kagome responded as the female made her way over to them; her kimono trailing a little bit, behind her. But it didn't seem that she minded that her kimono was getting dirty. In fact, Kagome was very certain that its material was specifically made for that reason.

"I see that your wounds have been fully healed." She said.

"Yes. I'm really happy about it, too. I feel great." Kagome said.

"As you should — the bandages dissolving only mean that you are ready to start taking control of your demonic side. This is good, considering how your training will start soon." Yayuki said. This immediately caught Kagome's attention.

"Training?" She asked.

"Yes." Yayuki said. "Your training will commence soon, and you will receive different types. Healing, fighting, and something I like to call _extensive torture_; however its real name is etiquette training. And believe me, it will be the hardest of all your training categories." Yayuki said; ignoring the disapproving look that Yuksi sent her.

"I think I can handle it." Kagome said.

"Abandon that thought. Because once you meet _that woman_, she will painfully crush it for you. It is best that you forget about it _now_."

"Yayuki-hime…" Yuksi said.

"Yes, yes, I know Yuksi…" Yayuki said. "There is no harm in warning her, though."

"There is when it is done in _that _manner." Yuksi said.

Yayuki sighed. "Forgive me." She stated. "Besides, there are other more important things to talk about. Come, Kagome-san, let us head back to the estate. There are things that we must speak of, along the way." She said. Kagome turned her body and began to follow Yuksi the way back, while Yayuki walked beside her and spoke to her.

"There are some things that you must know about your training, Kagome-san — especially your battle training." Yayuki said to her as they were half-way up the hill from earlier.

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

"Your battle training holds two parts. One half of it is learning how to control your demonic body, and the other half is learning how to _use_ it. Obviously, the second half cannot be achieved without the first, and, sadly, the first cannot be currently achieved because the trainers of the clan are currently overwhelmed with work. This means that _you_, Kagome-san, must find your own trainer for the first-half of your battle training."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"What?!" She exclaimed.

"I am sorry, but that is all that can be done. I tried finding a different alternative to it, but when it was broken down to little pieces and details, the alternatives could not work. This is truly the only choice." Yayuki said; sadness in her eyes.

"How am I supposed to find a trainer?" Kagome asked. "I don't think there's a demon on this planet that could be… nice enough to train me if I just _asked_ them."

"I understand that demons are not the most helpful of creatures, but I am certain that there is one with enough patience and heart to train you." Yayuki said. "Of course, there are a few requirements that may or may not make this an easier task for you."

"What are they?"

"Well… the demon must be the same breed as you. If you pick a demon who is the exact opposite of what you are, it will be useless for it to try and teach you how to control your body, when its body is completely different." The heiress said; they had gone up the hill and now were following the brown dirt path through an area that smelled distinctively of ash and blood.

It made her nose cringle.

"So I have to find a Wolf Demon…" Kagome said; remembering that type of demon that Yayuki had told her she was, earlier. And the more she thought of it, the more her mind remembered a very obvious detail. She gasped.

"What is it, Kagome-san?" Yayuki asked; alarmed.

"I—I think I know who my trainer can be." She stated.

"So quickly?" Yayuki asked. She never thought that Kagome would be able to find, or think of, someone to be her trainer so quickly. She expected a journey out of it — she wasn't sure whether it would've been short or long, but that it was going to be a journey. Yet, it seemed over the second it started.

"Yes." Kagome said. "I know a demon named Kouga; he's a Wolf Demon like I am now, and he's… well… we're on good terms." She stated; unsure of what to call her relationship with Kouga. "I'm sure that if I asked him to be my trainer, he's do it — or at least consider it." She said. This truly astounded the demonic heiress. Not only did Kagome know the demon, but they were, perhaps, friendly with one another. It seemed that this option was the best.

After all, if Kagome already had a good relationship with this Kouga demon, then that means that there won't be time wasted on the introductions and trust-building that she and her trainer would need to go through.

"This Kouga seems like a good candidate, then. However, he will have to be evaluated by me. I cannot have someone incapable of teaching you being your trainer. Of course, this means that he will have to be brought back here, or I will have to go personally see him… Hm…" She hummed. "Which do you prefer, Kagome-san?"

"Well…" Kagome said. "I kinda like the second option, where you come to see him. But I know that you'll probably be very busy during that time — whenever that'll be — so I'm thinking the first option but… I don't know. I kinda thought that this part of me would be a little secret from some people. Then again, it's not like I can hide the fact that I'm a demon now. I mean — look at me! I look nothing like I did, before." Kagome said.

While, yes, she did want Inuyasha to see that she was a demon, she wasn't really sure whether she wanted others to know. She always thought that if she were to become a demon, she could hide the fact that it was her, from others, by changing her name. Then, when the time came, she could reveal it and shock them all. It would be her big moment, she imagined.

But now it seemed as if that fantasy would not be possible. If Kouga was to be her trainer, then he would have to know about this side of her — this _new _side of her.

"I see…" Yayuki said. "Actually, that is possible."

"What's possible?" Kagome asked.

"To revert to your regular, human form." At Kagome's puzzled expression, Yayuki decided that now was a good a time as any to allow Kagome to know the benefits that came with being a member of her clan. "You see this jewel here, Kagome-san?" Yayuki asked. Kagome nodded as she easily spotted the milky-white orb hanging from Yayuki's neck. "It does many things; one of them being the ability to give the members of our clan a _human form _where we look like regular civilians." She stated.

Kagome couldn't believe it.

"So, you mean that, if I had a jewel like that, I could turn change back to my regular self?" She asked. It was unbelievable to her. She knew that demons could have human-like forms where they resembled average civilians, but she was never sure of how it was that they could attain it. Obviously, it required a lot of power (in general or of possession) and it seemed that this jewel holds that power inside.

"Yes. And you do. It is back at my room, hidden safely away. I will give it to you tomorrow, when I will have the chance to explain to you many things about it." Yayuki said.

"Does that mean that I can look human again?" Kagome asked. "Not that there's anything wrong with looking like a demon — it's just… there are some people I don't want to know that I'm a demon." She stated.

"It does. With the jewel, you can regain your regular human form, being how it is the one that you were born with. Your demonic scent will be covered, as well as the aura. You will look _exactly _like you once did, before you became a demon. But be aware of the fact that there are time limits to these things. When the moon rises, during the night, the illusion will dispel and you will regain your demon form. If you truly want to keep this side of you a secret, I suggest hiding yourself when the sun begins to set." Yayuki said.

"Okay. That I can do." Kagome said. She'll just hide beneath her sleeping bag, and be sure to keep her head covered. Her white hair would be a dead giveaway that she was a demon. Or at least, not the same as she was, before.

"So then, the first option is what you will choose? To bring him back here in your demonic form?" Yayuki asked; reminding Kagome of what the original topic was.

"Yes. That'll be just fine." Kagome stated.

"Perfect." Yayuki said. "Before your arrival, you will contact me so that I may send you an escort."

"How am I supposed to contact you?" Kagome asked.

"That will be explained tomorrow. At the moment, there are other things that must be attended to. I am certain that you have noticed the changes around the estate." Yayuki stated. They were currently walking past a set of white gates that were the entrance to the clan's estate. It allowed Kagome to see just how big the house was, and she concluded that it was the biggest she'd ever seen. However, that was all. She could only see the front.

"I have." Kagome said.

"And I am sure that you are curious as to why they are occurring."

"More than you know." Kagome stated. Since she'd first begun to spot the differences, she's wondered why it was that the demonic attendants were running out and about, and doing so much to clean the estate. She knew that the place was to be kept clean always (that was not a hard thing to conclude given who lives there), but she was certain that it was not to _that _extent. Once-a-week seemed fine to her…

"Well, prepare to learn the reason why the demons here have been moving so rapidly for the past hours." Yayuki said. She walked down a stone path, and around the estate. It took a while since the estate was by-no-means small, but eventually they reached a large wooden gate, and two guards standing post there, bowed and let them through.

What was behind the gates was _not _something she expected to find.

Kagome was beyond surprised when she saw the demons of the clan participating in what was surely a party. A _large _party. Everywhere, demons were socializing and forgetting the fact that they held a reputation for being one of the most stoic and prosperous demonic clans to ever live.

They let loose, for once, and went about eating, dancing, socializing and much more. Little demon children played in the large area, and even grabbed at the decorations that hung in the air. Neither their parents nor anyone else made a move to stop them. They were perfectly fine with the decorations being taken down as kids hopped, ran, flew, and dived to grasp them. Some adults even helped their children to do so.

Animals were let free, and lounged about. Kagome spotted a group of Black Panthers atop a roof, staring down at the party while they licked each other clean. Nearby, a group of Wolves was making their way there, and shaking their wet fur; doused in water after taking a quick swim in the pond that was present.

The smell of food was heavy in the air, and it made her stomach grumble. The music playing was old, but festive, and only seemed to add to the mood. The clothing worn was a simple best-of-the-best, and nowhere near the extravagance they could pull off if they wanted. But that night was a night for celebrations, and nothing more. While clothing was required, it did not need to be immensely glamorous, just beautiful enough to please the elders and the heads of the clan as they looked over the festivities, and enjoyed some themselves.

Kagome had never seen such a thing: so many different types of demons... all in one area and not fighting due to their clear differences. But that was to be expected, was it not? After all, they were all a part of the same clan, and breed was not paid attention to.

It was something that she was certain was rare. But here, she concluded, that was every-day life.

"Kagome-san…" Yayuki's voice managed to reach her ear despite the loudness of the music. Briefly she wondered why it was that she hadn't heard it earlier. It was such a boisterous sound, and her sensitive ears had not picked-up on it until now. It was odd, but she supposed that was what made it a more pleasant surprise.

"These festivities are for you." Yayuki said; causing her head to snap towards her and her steel-gray eyes to widen. Yayuki bit back her giggle, and gave her a bright smile; the brightest she's seen on the female, so far.

"Welcome to the clan."

* * *

><p>.<p>

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><p>This chapter was more difficult to write than I thought. I ended-up changing so many things, and taking out so much stuff, that I lessened the story by about 3k words. I know you guys wouldn't have minded the long chapter, but I thought that a chapter over 14k words was just fine. Besides, the rest of the stuff will be displayed next chapter.<p>

Anyways… she made it! Kagome is now a full member of the Junketsu Clan — whoop, whoop! You gotta give it up to the girl. She worked hard for that title. And what a nice present for deserving it — an entire celebration created just to celebrate her. Very nice. :) And now we know of her demon appearance (which I changed, many times), and what Kouga's current role will be to her. But, given the rating of this story and its pairing, it will by no means remain _trainer_. Oh no, no, no. That will _not _do.

Next chapter: Kagome's Return; we finally catch-up on the happenings of Inuyasha and the gang. Just what happened in the week or so of Kagome's further absence? Will Kagome even be _allowed_ to return to her friends now that she is a clan member? And will she chose to keep her demonic side secret from everyone, or just those outside of her close circle of friends?

Please review, and see you next chapter (hopefully it'll be easier to write than this one). And happy (late) Thanksgiving!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	9. Kagome's Return

_Surprise bitch!_ I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. ;) (Lol. I love that meme.)

*sigh* I hate how I was so ready to update before Christmas (of 2012, my god…), and then I ran-out of ideas and had to rewrite this chapter too many times, and then there were laptop issues (that I have still yet to resolve). *sigh* The struggle is real. I _really_ hope you guys aren't too angry with me. I was _so happy_ when I saw this story reach 100 reviews, and I wanted to put out chapter nine as a way to celebrate, but kill me if I wasn't running low on inspiration, and school wasn't kicking my ass. (Art History, I curse thee IB in general can kiss my—).

But whatever — nothing I can do about it now besides update this thing, right? I'm _really _excited about this chapter. After reading all chapters of _Inuyasha_ (my original reason for taking a break), I've finally decided during what arc this story takes place in. It's between chapter 235 and forward, where the Shichinintai or "Band of Seven" makes their first appearance (technically the first one is seen in chapter 234, but he is identified as a "zombie", but that chapter can count, too, if you want). They're the seven resurrected warriors that can do the work of thousands of men; one of them, Jakotsu, has a sword that is able to bend and kinda acts homosexual. Does it ring a bell yet? If not, head on to the aforementioned starting chapter (or episode 102 where they show up for the first time in the anime) and read up! So yeah, now that I've got the setting out of the way, I can write to my fullest imagination. Yay!Any who, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Inuyasha _characters. I only have ownership over my own, and the plot.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The Demonic Flower<strong>

_**Chapter 9: Kagome's Return**_

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><p>His back was pressed-up against the makeshift, wooden door as he struggled to contain the demon within. He dug his heels into the dirt; struggling to get a firm grip on the ground so that he could push even harder. But it was a difficult task. The ground was wet and muddy from the downpour that had occurred earlier that day, and his feet slid as he tried to keep them firmly planted on the soil.<p>

He let out a growl as the demon struck the wood, and forced him to move forward for a few moments before he forced his body back to hold the door in place.

"Do something!" He shouted at the others.

Unfortunately, there was really nothing that could be done. The monk had fallen ill from some poisonous plant that the female-disguised demon had given him (damn him and his uncontrollable urge to get intimate with every beautiful woman he saw), the demon slayer had been taken hostage by the feminine demon and was wrapped-up somewhere in the cave that they were in, and the kitsune… well, he wouldn't be able to do anything so long as he continued hiding.

He groaned as a pressure point in his back was hit.

'_Damn…' _He thought. _'What the hell am I gonna do now? If I leave this door unguarded for even a second, that bitch will break this door down and we'd be in for a hell-of-a fight…'_ While normally he wouldn't mind fighting, he was already exhausted and had sustained some injuries.

His muscles were being pushed close to their limits with each amount of force that he used to keep the demon at bay. Blood was pouring from the wound on his neck, and his hands had been rendered useless by that demon.

Damn that bitch and her poisonous touch…

It looked as if nothing could be done. All he could truly do was try and keep the demon female at bay; but even that was slowly becoming a lost cause as she pushed against the wooden door even harder, and he could feel her claw dig into the flesh on his back, but not break skin.

'_Dammit…' _He groaned. _'She'll be in here in no time…' _

And as his mind went over possible scenarios of what may occur, he, for once, wished that the hanyou was there to fight this demonic female, as well. But he had been missing since the day they had entered the village that this demon resided in, and it didn't seem as if he'd be coming back anytime soon.

'_I fucking hate that half-breed. Of all the times I actually __want__ him to be here, he refuses to show-up. That selfish asshole…' _

The female demon broke through the door, and he flew forward a couple feet. His head smashed into the stone of the cave, but he didn't dwell on the pain that emerged. He turned his body and his mind completely focused on the creature that had made her way inside.

Her menacing form flew into the cave, and she perched herself on a jagged stalagmite with her wings spread wide. There were jagged blades on the edges of her wings, and her eyes were a fierce red color. Her body had grown three-times its original size, and the hair on her head had spread throughout her body and become her fur.

He honestly liked it more when she was portraying herself as a harmless Geisha who wanted to sell them her virginity.

But damn him if he she hadn't picked-up on the jewel shards in his legs, and managed to rip one out and use it. He blamed the monk for allowing her to get so close; he had a bad feeling about her from the moment her black eyes landed on him.

Those cold, soulless eyes that easily gave-away the fact that she was a demon — being as how humans always held life in their eyes, however little it may be. It was something no demon could mimic, and he had easily spotted as she danced provocatively in her very-provocative kimono.

But that monk—

He stopped. No good would come from him casting blame on the blind fool. He was human and humans were not able to see this, like demons were. All he could do, now, was fight until… until… until _what_?

He died?

A miracle happened?

They seemed to be the only options. But he knew that the latter would most likely never happen. The odds of a miracle occurring were very low… but that did not mean that he would stop.

Getting up to his feet, he tried to get into a fighting stance — but with one jewel-shard ripped from his legs and his hands paralyzed due to the toxins in her claws and fangs... that was quite the difficult task to do.

Yet he stood and got ready.

He'd fight until his death.

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><p>She sighed for the umpteenth time that morning. A look of displeasure was on her face as she closed the scroll that she had been reading, and placed it in the pile that was the most small. She then grabbed one from the taller pile, and opened it. She smoothed it out with two wooden blocks that she kept at the edges, to keep the paper smooth.<p>

There was a quick description of what she had had to do at the top, and she frowned at it. It was such a _boring_ task. Dipping her brush in ink, she got rid of an excess amount and began to write on the scroll.

It was as she was on her third line that someone entered the room, and spoke to her.

"Onagi-hime, there is a disturbance in the east."

"What about?" Yayuki asked. She didn't bother to stop her writing as a member of the clan approached her. She had around eighty scrolls to read, and twenty assignments to complete, and she couldn't waste a single moment with casualties such as looking at a person when speaking. Heck, she had already wasted a good few hours of work, attending Kagome's celebration party. Even now the party went on (with Haru and Jun keeping a close watch on Kagome as she had asked them to), and here she was in a single room doing lost work.

How tedious.

"A demon is wreaking havoc." The male informed her.

She sighed. "Have one of the warriors take care of it. " She stated; trying her best to hide the annoyance that she felt at this demon. Really? Must she be bothered by such a simple problem? Didn't this male know the standard procedure for when a land of theirs is being attacked by demons?

Or, at the least, he should know the basic rule: _One is to not bother the leaders of the clan about such a frivolous ordeal._

'_He could at least have the common courtesy to remember that one…' _She groaned in her mind, as she began to enter the third line of her haiku. Damn her etiquette teacher wanting her to write haikus for each day that she missed her training. These things were so annoying…

"We did. And they have come back with a report about this demon."

She mentally sighed. "What does it state?"

"It holds a piece of the Shikon no Tama in its body. The demon used its power to grow in strength, and has taken advantage of the inhabitants of the village. Each human is being used as a pawn, and clan law forbids them from fighting and hurting these people — their hearts are all innocent."

At this, she silently groaned.

"I guess I have no choice, now, do I?" She asked.

"I am sorry to bother you."

"No, no, it is alright. I have a duty to my clan, and will jump at any chance to perform it." She placed the brush back in its case, and closed the ink. Since the ink had yet to dry on the paper, she made sure that the holders at its side were in place, before she stood and began to head-out of the room.

"While I prepare, please get Yuksi for me and inform her that I will be taking my leave for a few moments, to deal with this demon, and would like her to watch-over Kagome-san."

"Yes Onagi-hime." He stated.

"You may leave."

He left her side and went in a different direction. Meanwhile, she continued her trek to her room and thought of all that she would have to do, once she returned to the estate and had taken down the annoying demon that was wreaking havoc.

Oh yes, her day would hold no free-time…

However, she would make some. After all, she still had to give Kagome her jewel. Without it, she'd always have to guard the young female and with her busy schedule, she couldn't have that. As soon as Kagome awoke after the days of celebration ended (normally they lasted three days, and it was only the second), she'd give her the jewel.

Then, Kagome can start her training.

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><p>"Inuyasha…" He ignored her voice as he continued to stare at the village. He could sense a strong demonic aura coming from there, and the familiar scent of human blood reached his nose. He wanted to go there and see what was going on, but something was keeping him from heading there.<p>

And he knew what it was.

"It would be useless to go help. That village's fate is already written and cannot be erased." The female said to him. At this, he growled lowly.

"I know." He stated. "But the demon… it's female…"

"Your search for her will not end well. The odds of you finding her are diminishing…" The female said as she stirred some herbs in a boiling pot, and continued to make some tea. Its scent reached Inuyasha's nose, and he exhaled it out of his nose. That intoxicating scent that kept him calm…

"I know. That's why I—"

"Stay." At the sound of her command, he felt his body go numb once again as he froze where he sat. He growled deeply at this, but made no move to try and stand, and head to the village. Instead, he placed his hands in his sleeves and continued to look at the village.

Storm clouds were forming overhead, despite the rest of the surrounding area holding the beautiful weather of that very day. Whatever demon was there was massively powerful.

But he wouldn't do anything about it. Briefly he flexed his hand, and held back the flinch that came from moving the muscles that were there. His hand was still recovering from that arrow… that arrow that very well could've ended Kagome's life…

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><p>When she made the first move, he had managed to dodge it. Despite the pain in his legs, he pushed through it and jumped high into the air. It wasn't enough to create some perfect distance between them, but it may have just saved his life, then and there. Otherwise, he would've been skewered with one of her giant claws, and that would've been the end of it.<p>

When she came at him with the opposite hand, he was unable to do anything since he was still in mid-air. There was no surface for him to push off of, to dodge the attack. He smashed into the rocky wall, and pieces of broken rock began to fall down onto him. They were small, and carried with a wave of dust, so they didn't harm him.

The female demon swiped her clawed hand at the roof, and forced the sharp earth hanging down from there, to fall. He could only look-up as they rained down in the surrounding area. Luckily, he was safely tucked-away into a corner, and none of the stalactites hit him.

The female demon did not care for this, however, and began to rush towards where he tried to stand. His body ached, and his vision was slowly going black. He knew that he could not last much longer; it would soon be the end for him.

When she was not a foot away, he braced himself. As her nails dug into his chest — puncturing it easily — he coughed-up blood, but made no sound of pain. She raised him from where he stood, and then smashed him down on the ground. He hissed in his pain; a momentary flash of white appearing in his head before he opened his one good eye, and watched as the Bat Demon approached him, once again.

She continued tossing him like a naughty little girl did to her old rag doll; trying to see how long it would take before its limbs fell-off. He wished, desperately, that he could do something. But his body had reached its limit, and he continued to let himself get tossed from side-to-side as she hit him with one clawed hand, and then the other.

The demoness let out an evil cackle as she let him fall on the ground, and then stomped her foot down on his chest. More blood sputtered from his mouth and rained down both on his torso, and her foot.

"The jewel shard." She hissed in a deeply feminine voice.

He wanted to resist. To protect the remaining jewel shard in his leg. But he was weak. He'd lost so much blood — it was a miracle he'd yet to fully black-out. Forever.

But he wouldn't let it end like this.

"Where is it?"

He remained silent, for that was all he could do. It didn't seem like she was smart-enough to figure-out where his remaining jewel shard was placed in his body. If one of them was in his foot, the other surely had to be in the opposite, as well. Yet she lacked the common sense to learn this, and believed that he had the second on him hidden elsewhere.

That was all he could do: to remain silent and protect the remaining shard. There was no telling what this demoness could do with two shards…

"Tell me!" She demanded in her slithery voice. "Where is the shaaaaarrrd!?" She pressed her foot harder on him, but he refused to speak. He'd take its location with him to the grave, if he could. This did not please her, and she let out a hiss at him. It would've been intimidating, if he didn't already know that he was nearing death.

To try and get him to talk, she dug the points of three of her claws into his left cheek, and forced holes to appear. Blood gushed into his mouth, and pain erupted, but he still refused to speak.

"I'll shred you to pieces — where is the shard?!"

The blood gurgling in his throat was one of the only things keeping him from speaking. He honestly felt like telling her its location. The pain was becoming unbearable to him, and his heart beat was slowing. It sounded so loud in his ear-drums, yet also like a soft lullaby lulling him into sleep.

He wheezed. The blood began to spill from his mouth, and just as his eyes closed, he saw a flash of white.

'_About… time…'_

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><p>"Who are you?" The Bat Demon asked. Her soulless, black beady eyes landed on the new player in her gaming field. It was a white-haired demon with her locks pulled into a ponytail, and eyes of ice-blue that were shining yet dark. The kimono of hers was all-black, and she held a sword in her right hand. Clearly, the female was unhappy with the way that her eyes landed on the monstrous creature.<p>

"The jewel shard — hand it over." The new demon demanded, from her position of clutching onto a stalactite, with her left hand.

"_Never_!"The Bat Demon screamed.

She easily forgot about the injured Wolf Demon beneath her, and began to attack the white-haired demon. To her anger, this demon seemed to be more skilled in fighting than her last opponent, and her agility became quite useful as she jumped from jagged rock to jagged rock, with ease.

The demon flipped in the air as she tried to hit her with a punch to the side, and avoided the hit. She landed behind her, and when she turned to try and strike her again, the female jumped — as if she were as lightweight as a common feather — and made it high-enough to land on her head. There, the white-haired demon dug her sword into her skull.

She screamed-out in pain and agony. Her head… the pain… something was leaking _into_ her skull and burning her!

She thrashed violently as she tried to get a hold of the demon, and to stop the burning. But it was useless. The demon deflected each one of her attempts at getting her off, with a well-aimed kick that packed a punch. She poured her power into her sword, and only got off of the demon's head when she began to cut down its spine.

The Bat Demon arched its back and yelled in pain as its muscles and spine were easily torn, and injected with the same liquid that had caused so much pain in her skull — and was still active.

Her flesh ate itself from the inside-out, and it wasn't long before its dead body fell forward; a soon-to-be carcass.

Landing on her feet, Yayuki shook her sword and the blood that once covered it, fell onto the ground. It began to eat-away at the earth, but then it simmered down. She brought her free hand to her forehead, and wiped the sweat that was present.

That had been annoying. Not difficult, since the demon's power couldn't hold a candle to her own, even _with _the power of the Shikon no Tama, but annoying. She just wasted time getting her assignments done on such a low-level demon. However, only she could have defeated it while her clan members began to neutralize the people that the Bat Demon had managed to start controlling.

'_Such a worthless demons — using pawns to fight its battle…' _One of the things she hated most in the world was demons who used other demons to fight for them. It was one of the reasons why she only asked for help when absolutely necessary.

Sighing and sheathing her sword back in place, she inspected the damage. The Bat Demon had ruined one of her best caves that the villagers used to mine iron and other minerals, to create weapons for themselves — just in case. It really was annoying considering how this was where the village's economic support came from (iron traded quite nicely in the market), and years of work had now been tarnished by a heartless demon.

Honestly, she didn't know how it was that her people didn't inspect this village earlier, to see if there were any lingering female demons in disguise.

'_I'll have to have every area checked. Surely other demons noticed the lack-of-protection and have taken advantage of the situation…' _Another casualty caused by her absence. She swore that these things would never end.

Beginning to walk around, she started to head for the body of the male demon that she had seen, before. She couldn't tell much about it from when she last glanced at it, but she knew that he was badly-beaten, and close to death — if he hadn't died, already. Yet a part of her hoped that the male was still living. He didn't seem like a bad demon…

When she reached his body, his grotesque state didn't faze her. Her eyes momentarily shifted from their regular color, to white, and her pupils shrunk as she looked deep into his soul to see his intentions, and judge him.

To her shock, this male knew Kagome.

'_Perhaps… he is one of her friends…?' _She thought. _'I have to get him help.' _She thought.

She called-upon two members of her clan using the orb around her neck, and they came to her almost immediately. When they arrived, she placed her hand against the male demon's chest and poured some of her healing energy into him. It wouldn't fully stabilize him, but it'd stop the bleeding and sustain whatever grip on life he still had.

"Get him to the Medical Hut, and have the women and men there, tend to all of his wounds." She stated. "Be careful, though, his body has suffered the brute force of this demon, and is fragile."

"Yes Onagi-hime." One of the males said. "But what of the others?"

"Others? Are you speaking of the villagers?" She asked.

"No. They are unharmed. However, there are other non-villagers that seem to have also been victims." He said to her. Yayuki didn't even have to think.

"Them as well. All who have been injured should be healed. I want statuses on this male's progress." She stated. The two male warriors agreed to her request, and she stood from her position and began to head out of the cave.

For a moment, she paused at the Bat Demon's dead body, and looked throughout it. The jewel around her neck began to pulse, and it grew as she moved closer and closer to the body. Eventually, a heat emerged from the jewel and Yayuki dug her clawed hand into the dead demon's body. She then pulled it out — and in-between her claws, but not touching her flesh, was a shard of the Shikon no Tama.

It was slightly tainted, but given what she had heard from the Kagome at the young miko's first meeting with her parents, she can purify it by touch.

'_I'll save it for her. I'm sure she'll be glad to have it.' _She honestly didn't mind handing the jewel over to Kagome, for her to purify. Keeping it, however, will lead to a discussion between the two that may involve the Elders.

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><p>Sooner rather than later, Kagome learned the perks of being a member of the clan — a <em>noble<em> member of the clan.

On the second day of the celebration, she awoke to a headache induced by her taking drinks from pretty flame-haired boys with charming smiles and seductive voices. It was something that she had regretted as she experienced the worse headache that she'd ever gone through, in her lifetime, and she swore to herself that she'd never succumb to indulgence like that, ever again.

Thankfully, the headache had been easily numbed as she sipped that grotesque tea that she's been forced to drink every day that she's been there (who knew it had other uses besides leaving a bad taste in her mouth), and now she sat in the noble section of the hot springs.

It was clearly better than the other guest section that she had used, with water that shifted from cool to warm in a euphoric second. Her body shivered delightfully when it did this, and her sore muscles enjoyed the gentle sway of the water.

It was as if she was receiving a massage.

"Wow…" She muttered softly as a knot in her back disappeared, and she sunk in deeper into the water. "This is… amazing."

The little girl from the night before, Chie, smiled down at her as she continued to wash Kagome's hair with rose-scented water. Her little fingers worked meticulously in the silky white strands, and she grabbed a large comb to detangle the hair that she could comb through.

"I-I am g-glad that you are e-en-j-joying it, M-miss Kagome." She stated softly. She paused in her combing to relax Kagome's hair back, before adding a gel-like liquid into her hands, and beginning to massage it into Kagome's scalp. The demonic female sighed in ecstasy. It was such a relaxing bath. She was the calmest she'd ever been.

Not to mention, two other demons worked on her claws and feet. It was odd; to be receiving a manicure and pedicure as she bathed, and she had shied away at the thought of allowing her parts to be so exposed.

But as she thought of it more rationally, she realized that these women had probably seen more than their fair-share of naked female bodies, and she agreed in allowing her limbs to be spread-out so much; and leaving parts of her open and vulnerable. Thankfully, the foggy water of the spring hid these parts, as well, and she was certain that the women could not see her intimate areas.

One woman, with dark black hair that was tied-up in a looped ponytail that barely kept the curly tresses from getting wet, was polishing her claws. Every now and then she'd shiver as the tool that the woman was using to sharpen her claws, nipped at her skin. But overall, she liked the fact that her hands were getting cleaned of whatever dirt may have gotten stuck.

Her feet, however, were a much larger problem. She was somewhat ticklish and would flinch every now and then when the woman's scratchy tool or hand went over an area that was particularly sensitive. So far, she'd only flinched and blushed out an apology, but she feared that she might lose control of her foot as a wave of laughter hit her, and she accidentally struck the young-looking demon. Thankfully, that had yet to happen, and the blonde-haired female continued her work.

'_This is so amazing…' _She thought as she raised her finished foot and wiggled her toes. Her nails looked much better than they would in her human form. _'I feel like a princess.' _

It really was the royal treatment; something that every little girl would dream of. To have people wait on her hand-and-foot, and fulfill nothing but what she desired… Yet the more self-reliant part of her hated that she couldn't do anything by herself.

'_Don't say that, Kagome.' _She told herself. _'The most they've done is bathe you and dress you. Besides, a little pampering is good every now and then…' _She mentally sighed. _'If only Sango were here, too — I bet she'd __love__ this.'_

She could very easily imagine herself talking to Sango as both of them got manicures and pedicures. A healthy and vibrant string of conversation would flow endlessly between the two, and every now and then a guard would stop by to escort Miroku (that lecher) out of the area. To which, Sango would comment on his inappropriate behavior and she'd laugh.

Thoughts of bonding with the demon slayer made her heart ache as she was once again reminded of the fact that she hadn't come in contact with her in _weeks_!

The last time she saw Sango, was when she assured her that she wouldn't need any protection as she headed into the forest to have a look around. Oh how she regretted that choice. Not fully, however, given how it led to some very amazing things, but the regret was still there.

Maybe, if she'd been with Sango, this would've never happened and she could be with the group? Or, perhaps… it would've ended-up like this, anyway, as Yayuki captured her after seeing her display her miko power?

Whichever way she thought of it, the conclusion was that she wanted to be with her friends. To yell at Inuyasha, hold Shippou in her arms, and watch the bickering of the slayer and monk while Kirara brushed up against her legs in a movement of affection.

She missed her friends… she missed her _family_…

"Miss Kagome." The black-haired demon said to her as she sensed a shift in Kagome's mood. Kagome had to blink for a moment to recollect herself, before she raised her head to the upper right, and looked at the beautiful, golden-eyed female.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Is something bothering you? I can sense your aura grow sad." She stated. Kagome sighed before nodding her head.

"I miss my friends." She stated openly. She didn't mind telling these females of her troubles. From the moment Haru and Jun had introduced her to these two other attendants — Kuro and Kiiro, she believed their names were — she could tell that they were just as equally-nice as Haru and Jun, and that she would be able to get along with them, very easily.

"Do not worry. I am sure that you will be reunited with them, soon. After all, we are allowed to take leave from the estate to pursue our own personal… duties, I believe." The black-haired demon, Kuro, said.

To this, Kiiro gave her a smile — although Kagome wondered why she also didn't give words of encouragement. Not that she expected them to be given to her just because she was now _special_, but because it seemed like something the nice demon girl would do. Yet, her smile caused Kagome's saddened mood to vaporize with the steam surrounding her.

"I hope so. I really miss them — I haven't seen them in weeks." She stated.

"I am certain that you will see them soon." Kuro said to her.

Kagome couldn't help but believe the beautiful demon, as she said those words. There was just a certain confidence behind them that made it seem as if she were stating a fact and not an inference. Kagome liked that.

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><p>She was quite the vision as she walked down the estate halls, dressed in one of her short battle yukata (her parents forbade her form wearing kimonos to battles), and covered in the dried blood of the Bat Demon. The jewel shard that she had recovered was still in her claws, and her eyes were made of steel as she made her way to Kagome's room.<p>

The sandals that she wore beneath her feet kept her from trekking blood into the place, yet it didn't make it any more… sanitary. However, she didn't really care.

Finally, she reached Kagome's room and knocked on the parts that were wooden, to let Kagome know of her arrival. A few moments later, the door slid open and she came face-to-face with Jun. The burnt-orange-haired demon had an incredulous look on her face as her eyes landed on the heiress, before she wiped it into something more respectful.

"Yayuki-hime." She said with a bow.

"Hello Jun." Yayuki said. "May I please see Kagome-san?"

"Of course." She said as she further opened the fusuma, and allowed Yayuki entrance into the room. There, a refreshed Kagome was reading over a scroll that Haru had handed to her earlier; left in her care by Yuksi who had been told to deliver it to her, by Yayuki herself. It was a set of precautions and guidelines that the female had to learn of, now that she was a member of the clan.

Her ears twitching at the new sound of footsteps, Kagome raised her head and her eyes immediately widened as she spotted the blood-covered heiress.

"Yayuki!" Kagome exclaimed. "What happened?!"

"Nothing to be worried about, Kagome-san; it was just a morning situation that I had to take care of." She stated with a smile. However, it didn't seem to satisfy the demon. Yet Yayuki immediately redirected her attention. "I came to ask a favor of you, Kagome-san. You mentioned that you can purify fragments of the Shikon no Tama…"

It was then that Kagome noticed the jewel pinched in-between the heiress' sharp, long claws. She gasped and immediately placed the scroll down as she made her way over to it.

"Where did you find it?" She asked.

"A Bat Demon had it." Yayuki stated. "Can you purify it?" She asked. Kagome hesitated for a moment. She remembered saying that she could purify a jewel, but that was when she was a human. Could she still use her miko powers as a demon? Or were they… too pure? "Kagome-san?" Yayuki questioned as she looked at the nervous expression on Kagome's face. "What is wrong?" She asked her.

"It's just… I'm a demon now. Can I still use my miko power?" She asked. "I mean: wouldn't it be countered by my new demonic self?"

"No." Yayuki said, much to her surprise. "Your demon body will not get in the way of what your human body used to be able to do. Remember, it was created to fully accustom _you_, Kagome-san. I am very certain that your holy essence was also taken into consideration." She stated.

Surprised, Kagome couldn't help but smile at this. That's right; Yayuki _had_ mentioned that before, hadn't she? How could she have forgotten? Then again, a lot of things had just occurred to her. It wasn't impossible to lose track of that information.

Smiling, Kagome reached-out and grabbed onto the tainted jewel. For a moment, she could feel the dark aura surrounding it, and was shocked at how evil the jewel had become. She could see what it had gone through; the things that the demon had done with the jewel to taint it. She even saw where it had originally been placed, before the human-disguised demon had managed to get a hold on it.

That was what shocked her. This jewel… it belonged to Kouga.

"Oh my god…" She said softly.

"What is it, Kagome-san?" Yayuki asked. She disliked the expression on the young demon's face. It was a mixture between shock and… oncoming confusion.

"This jewel shard belongs to Kouga."

"Kouga...?" Yayuki repeated. "The male you spoke about, last night."

"Yes. Him." Kagome said, still staring at the jewel shard as though it were the first time she had ever seen such a thing. "Where did you get this? Was he around?"

"I would assume that he was the male Wolf Demon I found in the cave. He had fought the Bat Demon and was badly injured." Kagome's eyes widened to look up at Yayuki. "He is currently being taken care of in the Medical Hut — a section outside of each village that my clan has influence over, where my clansmen go for healing."

"That's him." Kagome said. "A male Wolf Demon with long black hair and brown fur clothing..." Yayuki nodded; that was the exact general description of the male she had found, who knew Kagome. "Can you… can you take me to him?" Kagome asked her. "I… I want to make sure that he's okay."

"I can, but perhaps I should wait until you are properly dressed?" Yayuki asked. Kagome only wore robes at the moment; not clothing fit to wear to the outside world. Never mind her attire which was currently blood-coated. Hers were meant for the public eye, Kagome's were not.

"Never mind that — getting to Kouga is more important." She stated. Seeing the determination in Kagome's gray eyes, Yayuki nodded; acknowledging her resolve.

"I will take you there immediately." Yayuki said. "Jun, assure that Kagome-san's room is properly guarded until her return, and that she has proper clothing set out for her to wear. Until our return, go about your usual business until you or Haru are called upon once again."

"Yes, Yayuki-hime." Jun said.

"Come, Kagome-san. The Medical Hut of the village where the attack took place is not too far from here. If we run at half-speed, we will be there in no time."

Kagome nodded. She was ready to leave the room when she remembered that she still held the shard in her hand. If she were to drop it on the way there, she was certain that Kouga would never forgive her. Looking for a place to put it, she remembered her bottle of jewel shards that had been safely tucked away in the room. She went over there and got out the battle and the few shards inside. She placed Kouga's in; something told her that, even mixed with the others, she would be able to tell which was his and which were hers.

She placed the bottle back around her neck and tucked it away in her robes. She then looked towards Yayuki and nodded her head; signaling that she was ready to go.

Yayuki guided her out.

* * *

><p>Medical Hut<p>

* * *

><p>The Medical Hut was ten miles from the estate.<p>

To get to the wooden building that was small in wideness but with an impressive length, Kagome was able to unlock a new range of movement with her body as they ran from Point A to Point B. It was quite exhilarating; feeling the wind in her hair and having the sound of it in her ears. With each step that her legs took, she travelled yards, something that she was not yet used to. It all felt like a blur to her once they finally reached the hut after jumping over rivers and small patches of forests, and landing in wet and soft grass that cushioned and supported her as she moved forward.

She briefly remembered twisting and gripping onto branches as she went through the woods, and oddly feeling like she was in a free-fall as she jumped from a higher point.

Now that she was on solid ground and fully able to collect her senses, Kagome found herself exhaling. Not out of fatigue, but simply because her body was still not used to be pushed like that and doing those thing. Her mind had warned her of danger as she made leaps that humans should not be able to do, and that had triggered the adrenaline in her.

She hoped that she would get used to it soon.

"I suppose I should warn you of what you are about to see." Yayuki said. They were heading down the side of the hill that led to the hut, and knowing that they were approaching what would surely be an unpleasant surprise for Kagome, Yayuki felt that she should prep the young miko for what she was about to see. "I do not know the full details of his condition, but, when I first saw him, he was beneath the foot of the Bat Demon. There was a heavy scent of blood and decaying skin that was coming off of him, and I assume that he has many punctures to his body that pose a threat to his life. Do not be surprised if the healer taking care of him tells us of worse conditions."

Kagome nodded. "I know… and I'm worried, but not that much. Kouga's a strong demon… I'm sure he's still holding on." She said. It was not that she thought that he was on the verge of death, but that she assumed he would not give-up without a fight. There was a hard-headed determination that Kouga had when it came to living and the celebration of life (not just his own, but also of his comrades) that she admired. She was certain that a demon with his skill and determination would not die so easily.

"I was told that there were others with him, as well. I am not sure whether they are companions of yours or not, but surely you would like to see them, too?" Yayuki said as they finally entered the outer-door of the hut.

Seeing as how it did sometimes hold wounded soldiers (both human and demonic) that needed great protection and medical attention, any person entering or exiting would have to go through a check at the main entrance of the hut. It was there that Yayuki deposited her sword (it was a place of healing and weapons that did the opposite were not allowed) and she and Kagome gained clearance to enter into the hut.

The front guard, who kept information on all the patients being housed in, kindly and easily told them where the demon was that they were looking for — at the farthest right room, and currently undergoing some healing rituals.

"The system here is so efficient." Kagome noticed.

"It has to be. The clan takes great care in ensuring that no harm comes to any — especially those already harmed. Here we house not only our own clansmen, but also wounded humans; whether they hold ill intent or not. So it's imperative that nothing comes in that could further hurt them." Yayuki said.

Kagome nodded. The clan's connection with humans continued to astound her — it was truly a gem.

They continued walking through the hallway; it was filtered by the natural light of day, and there was a heavy scent of herbs in the air that Kagome strangely found comforting. When they finally reached the cloth-covered room that Kouga was being housed in, Kagome took a moment to exhale.

She and Kouga were not very close, but she would still consider him a friend. And to see one of her friends hurt…

The cloth was pushed aside and she got her first glance at him.

He was in a similar state to Hitomi, she couldn't help but think, back when she first laid her eyes on the injured demon. Only… it was more of an emotional connection, and her mind seemed to maximize his injuries. There were herbal leaves coated in medicine everywhere. There were bandages on every visible part of his body, and she could see it on his face—

No.

Her eyes widened. She felt her vision begin to shift and an odd sense traveled throughout her body. When the maximum ended, she soon found herself being able to pick up on something strange. It was hard to describe, but there were creatures on Kouga — disgusting little, naked imps that were poking and prodding on his body, and what looked to be a mist was surrounded Kouga.

"What… is this?" She asked aloud.

"Your body was centered on keen characteristics of yours, one, we determined, being healing. I would think it is an ability brought on by that. Why? What is happening?"

"I can see… things. They're small and green, and poking Kouga. And there's this mist surrounding him."

"Aa. You can see Death itself beginning to creep on him. Those creatures are what will bring down the judgment of whether he is dead and can be dragged into Hell or not. The mist is his life-force. Turn around and look at me for a moment." Kagome did just that, and was surprised to see the same mist around Yayuki — only, there was more of it and seemed to have a life of its own, as it coiled around her. It was similar to Kouga, except those creatures were not around her at all. "I am perfectly healthy and not on the verge of death, so my life force is stronger."

"I… see…" Was all Kagome could say. "Then… is Kouga going to die?" She asked.

"Had we left him there longer? Yes. But I would assume that, now, he has a higher life expectancy." Yayuki stated. "If you wish to take a closer look, go ahead."

Kagome tentatively stepped forward towards Kouga and made her way to where he lay. As she sat beside him and watched the creatures continue to poke and prod, she took notice of where it was that they were aiming their little spears. Curious as to why, she moved her hands forward to push the blanket aside and look at those areas more closely; what she found could easily be identified as Kouga's worst wounds.

'_They're aiming for the spots with the greatest chance of killing him…' _She thought; trying hard to examine the wounds in the real world and keep her eyes on the little creatures at the same time. _'Is their poking… making it worse?' _She could not help it as she swiped at the imps, only to have her hands go through. They seemed to not have any effect on the physical world…

"Yayuki…hime…" She said. Ever since her inauguration into the clan, it was now expected of her that she referred to Yayuki using an honorable title. Yayuki herself had suggested adding the suffix _–hime_ to the end of her name, as it was what most of those in the clan called her. She had slipped-up a few times, but has slowly gotten used to calling her that. "Can I make a suggestion as to where the healing should be concentrated?" She asked.

"Where?"

Kagome pointed to the side of Kouga's neck, his face, and areas around his abdomen and legs, and both of his arms. "The creatures are poking here, and I feel as though these are where the worst of his wounds are. So the healing should be concentrated here, first, and then be spread out from there." She stated. "If these areas become top priority, then I think that he'll heal much faster and the creatures will go away and his life force will replenish."

Yayuki nodded. "I will tell his healer just that. Excuse me while I go find them."

Kagome watched Yayuki leave the room, before turning her eyes back on Kouga. She spotted the little imp that was poking at his right leg; surely that was where the jewel shard that he had, was ripped from. She stared at the entrance for a few moments, trying to feel for Yayuki and see if she was anywhere nearby, before she pulled out the bottle from within her robes and moved aside the cloth that covered Kouga.

She blushed at the fact that his lower body was barely covered (really, only his penis was covered using a thin arrangement of cloth), but quickly tried her best to move past it and focus on the leg. She touched the injured leg, trying to feel for the jewel shard and coming up short. She hesitated on whether she should place it back inside or not, but knew that as much as she wanted to keep the shard, it was Kouga's — she and the group were allowing him to keep the shard until he was forced to give it up and have it become one with the other shards.

She was just about to begin moving aside the bindings when she felt Yayuki's presence come closer to her. Quickly she hid the bottle back in her robes and covered the area up. She was just getting back in her original position when Yayuki entered the room.

"I know you did something. I have a sixth sense about it." Yayuki said, causing Kagome's heart to thrum. "But I am not going to go into details about it, as I do not feel as though it is something dangerous… there are no changes in the room's atmosphere." She stated. Kagome remained silent, hoping that her heart would slow its beat as time passed by. "I told the male healer what you said; he said that it was very helpful information, and that he will start work on that immediately."

"That's good…" Kagome said. Briefly she took notice of the fact that she could no longer see the creatures on Kouga's body; perhaps the ability wore off? Then, wanting to change the subject to something that she could more easily handle, she remembered something Yayuki had briefly mentioned. "You said that there were others… what do they look like?" She was unsure whether these people would be significant to her or not, but lately she's had a feeling that, perhaps, they were significant to her?

"A female demon slayer was recovered from a cell that the female Bat Demon had created. A male Buddhist priest was recovered as well; he was very close to dying, and his body had been badly poisoned."

Kagome's heart sunk to her stomach.

"Sango… Miroku…" She mumbled under her breath. Yayuki's ears twitched, but she was unable to fully comprehend what it was that Kagome had said.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"C-can I… go to see them? Please?"

"Of course — follow me."

* * *

><p>The vision reactivated.<p>

And unlike Kouga who's body had sustained serious injuries that his natural demonic healing had slowly begun to heal, Sango and Miroku did not have that luck.

She was _horrified_ at the amount of creatures that were there. They centered around Miroku — his pelvis, his legs, his chest and head, and five were poking at his hand with the wind scar. Sango had less, but still more than Kouga; they were placed at her neck, her upper body, and one of her legs. Seeing them in that condition, in one worse than she had ever seen before, Kagome could not help but drop to her knees.

Her friends… how long had she been wanting to see her friends once again and just have a good cry and hug as a part of their reunion. She'd yearned for seeing their faces once again, and returning to their adventure.

This… this was not it — this wasn't how their reunion were supposed to be.

She held back the tears that threatened to spill, her mind replaying the information that Yayuki had told her before. _'Those creatures only appear when someone's life force is running out, and their soul is about to be dragged to Hell… Their life force, it's—'_ She glanced through the fingers that now covered her face as she peaked at their bodies once again. She had thought that she just couldn't see their life force (she had done it with Kouga, who was demon, and Yayuki as well, but who said that it worked on humans?), but turns out that it was so weak, there was barely any mist rising from their bodies.

The sight caused her to exhale shakily as she brought her body closer in together. Her friends were dying… her friends were on the verge of death.

"These people… are important to you." Yayuki said. She could feel Kagome's overwhelming emotions of shock, sadness and worry in the back of her mind. It was a similar feeling to her — the one she had felt when she dealt with the issue regarding Hitomi's body.

"They're… my friends… Sango and M-miroku… are my best friends…" She openly admitted. She'd grown to love them both to death, and it seemed as though that very love was killing them. It was such a terrible thing…

"Then, allow me to be the one to heal them." Yayuki said as she got down to Kagome's level and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "My healing abilities work a bit faster than those of the healers here, when I use the orb of my clan to amplify my powers. Normally I should not use it, as it would cause me to have some negative side-effects later, but when it's just a brief healing session, I can recover quickly."

She knew she had work to do. Back at the estate, there were still scrolls-upon-scrolls of work that she had to get through before her next session with her teachers. She should really go back to the estate quickly and get that work done, but… Kagome helped her save someone that she cared about very much, and now it was her turn.

"Ya… yuki-hime…" Kagome said. She raised her hands from her face and Yayuki could clearly see her watery eyes, and that droplets had already flowed from her cheeks. Ah. It reminded her of herself when Yuksi delivered one of Kagome's findings as to why Hitomi's healing abilities had been blocked.

"If you wish, you can assist me — consider it the first part of your training." Yayuki said, moving her hand to rub Kagome's back and push her spine forward. Kagome followed the motions and began to sit-up on her knees; wiping at the tears in her eyes, she nodded her head at Yayuki's request.

"Yes… I'd v-very much like that…"

* * *

><p>.<p>

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* * *

><p>So I know it wasn't exactly the "reunion" that you all wanted but… hey! I think that given my writing aesthetic, this was the <em>perfect<em> way for Kagome to reunite with the group — or rather, Sango and Miroku. Any who, lots happened in this chapter, and believe it or not, it was actually one of my "rejected" pieces of work that I had been trying to use when I was first trying to write chapter nine. I finished it, touched it up and _bam_! Ninth chapter. The only sad thing is that the _other_ ninth chapter I was working on will now join the rejected pile. Ah well, maybe I'll recycle it? I hope this made up for the over-a-year wait that you had to go through, and I will try my best to not make it that long, ever again. But no promises or guarantees, as I have side things and school to focus on. So tell me your thoughts in the reviews!

Oh! And I made a Tumblr account. The username is **superduperhighschoollevelblogger** (I know, long), and I'll be using it to give previews, news, and other stuff that I'll be working on. I wanna start turning these stories into doujins in the future, so use that to keep yourself updated, kay? Great! Please review! (And thanks for all the reviews prompting me to update the story faster — you guys _rock_.)

And in case you need some review materials, here are some key points I'd actually like to get feedback on:

Was this chapter worth the wait?

What do you think of Kagome's progress in becoming a demon and living in her new body?

What of Inuyasha? Who do you think the chick that he's with, is?

And you guys can take it from there.

Next chapter: **_A Demon's_ _Secret_**. _'Should I... tell them who I am or not?' '_

Please review!

~Chibi


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